The Brother’s Prayer Room was successfully refurbished over the winter break. Earlier last year, felix revealed many maintenance issues that had plagued the IC Islamic Society managed prayer room for six years. The issues included a dirty carpet emitting a strong smell, damp on the walls, peeling wallpaper and lack of appropriate plumbing to perform religious rituals.

The refurbishment was initiated following action from Deputy Presidents James Cox and Rachel Blythe after they were approached by the Society which had been struggling to get issues with the prayer room resolved for over seven years.

Finally, towards the end of last term plans for the refurbishment were finalised and the works were set to take place over the holidays.

“We worked with College to provide alternative spaces to pray during the holiday period, works took around three to four weeks so by the time James and I came back everything was complete,” says Blythe, Deputy President for Finance and Services.

“This was a huge achievement for the two of us and it shows how the Union continuously listens to student problems and liaises with College to get things done”

However, whether the refurbishment will be long lasting is uncertain as there are plans to move the Chaplaincy to a different part of campus. Whether this move will include or even take into consideration the Brothers’ Prayer Room remains unknown.