Muslim community in Bolton raises £30,000 in memory of Alan Henning

Alan Henning is a taxi driver from Manchester who went to Syria as a humanitarian aid worker

The Muslim community in Bolton has raised £30,000 in memory of murdered British aid worker Alan Henning.

The father-of-two was kidnapped last December while travelling to Syria as part of a Muslim aid convoy which set off from Bolton with the intention of delivering toys and presents to Syrian children.

He was killed by ISIS who posted a video online of his apparent beheading on Friday 3 October.

A total of £30,000 has now been raised in the town in Greater Manchester to help fund projects in his memory, the Bolton News has reported

In a statement released this week the Bolton Council of Mosques said: “We would now like to support the funds set up to help provide financial support for Alan’s family and other ongoing projects to benefit those in need to ensure his legacy continues.”

On Sunday, thousands paid tribute to Mr Henning in his home town of Salford.

A minute’s silence was held by rugby union fans ahead of the Sale Sharks’ game with London Wasps while services were staged in churches and mosques.

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The 47-year-old taxi driver’s humanitarian deeds were recalled at Eccles parish church, next door to the minicab firm where he worked.

Floral tributes and notes of condolence were also placed at the foot of Eccles Cross in the town centre.

The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev David Walker, compared the sense of unity in loss to the aftermath of the 1996 IRA bomb which destroyed a large part of Manchester city centre and injured more than 200 people.

The city’s Muslim leaders have spoken out vehemently against Mr Henning’s murder by Isis and many were among those paying tribute to the  taxi driver.

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