Oldham Temple organises fundraiser for charity

OLDHAM's Shree Swaminarayan Mandir will host a garden party on Saturday (11) to raise money for a local domestic violence charity, a statement said.

The annual event will take place from 12pm to 5pm on Copster Hill Road, with all proceeds being donated to the Saheli charity.

Saheli, which means ‘friend’ in Hindi, was established in 1976 and has since served as a crucial support system for women and children compelled to flee their homes due to abuse.

Hitesh Bhudia, Temple president, said: “This is going to be another great event put on by the community team. After the success of the street soiree in December 2022, we have been really looking forward to this event.

Oldham temple

“Last time we had snow and the France vs England match, but this year we are hoping for sun.”

In the past, the temple worked with Saheli, joining forces to gather 176kg of clothes, toys, household items, and electrical appliances for the charity in December last year. Additionally, the temple raised over £4000 for Maggie’s Oldham in 2023, a charity that offers free cancer support to those in need.

Geeta Patel, part of the community team and one of the people managing the event, said: “Saheli group are amazing, and we all think they are doing incredible work to support and provide refuge to black, Asian and minority ethnic women and children impacted by domestic abuse.

“We have been able to help Saheli before, with emergency supplies, clothing and toys for the people who use the services. We have also been looking at finding accommodation for the group. We are hopeful that the funds raised at this event will go on to help them even further and we are excited to see how much we can donate to them.”

Mahaprasad, Arts and Craft by Kalpna Bhatt, Hollywood Gym, Forever Aloe, Ekantika personalized gifts, Cakes by Nirupa, Hair by Minz and JSS Ice Rolls are also participating in the event.

Some stalls have chosen to contribute their earnings from the event to Saheli. Also, various children's activities will be available, including face painting, mehndi artists, and a bouncy castle course.

Sanjay Kerai, catering manager at the temple, said: “We will have Indian street food stalls run by the temple and the food will be prepared by volunteers, as well as dessert stalls from local businesses."