Northampton Sikh charities are preparing to 'quadruple' the number of free meals they provide to the homeless.
The Brand New Gurdwara is Set to Open This Month .
The Sri Guru
Singh Sabha Northampton and the Sikh Community Centre and Youth Club (SCCYC)
say the relocation of the Gurdwara and community centre to a much larger site
in the St James area of the town in August will make a ‘huge difference’ to the
community.
The charities,
which were recently awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the
highest accolade a voluntary group can receive in the UK – plan to more than
quadruple the number of free meals they provide for vulnerable and homeless
people to 700 a week.
Amarjit Singh Atwal, trustee at the Siri Guru Singh Sabha Northampton, said: “Our local area suffers from high levels of deprivation and the new building will enable us to make a huge difference to people of every faith across the community in a tangible way.
The bank also
helped The Siri Guru Singh Sabha secure a five-figure Bounce Back Loan Scheme
loan to ensure they could continue to deliver services throughout the pandemic.
Harjinder Singh
Kooner, chairman of the Sikh Community Centre and Youth Club, said: “Our work
is not just about providing our community with a place of worship. We support
local people with their health and wellbeing and help them access vital social
services. We reach out to a growing number of vulnerable and homeless people to
provide them with hot meals and for others,we’re a place to meet with friends.
Our new building will enable us to expand these services significantly."
