The trip was the first by an imam from the East London Mosque and was part of a longer-term project to improve links between the three organisations.

Sheikh Qayam said: “There’s no word for hospice in Arabic and today I learnt a lot about what hospice care really means.

“The Islamic faith is about offering care and support to families – and that’s the same ethos of the hospices I visited today.

“A hospice is about delivering care and support to the people and the families that really need it. Both hospices are happy environments that offer so much to all members of the diverse community we live in. And that’s one of the many reasons why I am delighted to become a patron of Richard House and to work with St Joseph’s.

“I will be taking that message back to the East London Mosque and will be delivering a 'khutbah' about making people more aware about palliative care and the wonderful services both Richard House and St Joseph’s offer.”

Peter Ellis, the chief executive of Richard House, said: “It is a real honour that the Imam has agreed to become a patron of Richard House.

“We are proud of our culturally-diverse neighbourhood. A significant proportion of our children come from Islamic backgrounds and we welcome this new link and hope that it will lead to many more exciting ventures in the future.”

Michael Kerin, chief executive of St Joseph’s, added: “St Joseph’s has served all communities in the diverse East End for over a hundred years. In recent years, our work to reach out to communities coming to live in the area has attracted awards and national interest.

“We hope this link with the East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre will build on this work and ensure that all parts of the community are aware of and feel comfortable about using our services – and that people will be encouraged to support us through volunteering and in other ways, so that we can help even more people in the future.”