Source: The Evening Telegraph
On August 24, 2005 The Evening Telegraph reported, "Council staff have been taught about world religions to help them deal with people from different faiths. Huntingdonshire District Council has produced a handbook which contains information on everything from dress codes to dietary requirements of various religions. It includes information such as the fact that in many Orthodox Christian churches, the congregation will stand throughout the service, that Hindus observe a 13-day mourning period for their dead, and, traditionally, hereditary surnames do not exist in Muslim culture. It also provides an overview of the history, festivals and teachings of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, as well as the different forms of non-religious belief, such as humanist and agnostics. The author of the guide, council policy officer Louise Clewes, said the spur for the project came from the results of the 2001 census. She said: 'The 2001 census was the first census which asked people their religion. From the results, we were able to see what religions are practised in Huntingdonshire.'"