Since establishment of SKS Swaminarayan Temple - East London in 1987, this organisation has taken part in various fundraising activities ranging from small to large events, supporting local and international humanity irrespective of gender and faith.

Below are some of our work and we continue to support in any shape and form possible now and in the future.

Food & Clothes Collection

Feeding the Homeless

Early in 2020, we teamed up with NishkamSWAT to provide a warm meal for the homeless in Ilford over the course of 2 evenings. For some homeless people in the area, this is their only hearty meal of the day, and in the cold winter weather you can imagine, a hot cup of tea and is well received. We were grateful to be given the opportunity to give back to those who are less fortunate than us.

Christmas Funday 2019

Our annual Funday was back, offering a fun filled day for all the family and this year, raising funds for Aangan in India. Aangan is charity set up and run by our Gadiwalashree and a group of dedicated female volunteers, which ensures that the most vulnerable children are safe, have shelter, food and an education. Whilst Gadiwalashree welcomes donations for the ashram, her main pride is for people to visit Aangan to see what facilities they currently have and what’s missing. This year, our charity raffle which included prizes for adults and children, raised a brilliant £1250.25.

Organ Donation & Transplantation Awareness Event

On the 24th of August 2019 during our 32nd patotsav, working with the Jain & Hindu Organ Donation (JHOD) Steering Group, we organised an Organ Donation & Transplantation awareness event. The event was attended by around 500 people, and the aim of the event was to raise awareness about the change in law in England among Hindus and to provide practical guidance on improving organ donation rates among the Hindu community.

As featured in the JHOD January Newsletter:

Kirit Modi, Chair of the Jain and Hindu Organ Donation (JHOD) Steering Group, emphasised the urgent need to register individual decisions by adults on organ donation and help save lives. He explained how Hindu communities could avail of the growing number of resources to improve education and awareness on organ donation. Shanti Priya Swami from the Bhuj Temple in India endorsed the initiative taken and hailed all the devotees to join this good cause and explained how organ donation is a selfless form of ‘daan’ (charity) which allows one to give the gift of life and is fully endorsed by the Hindu scriptures. Kirit Suhagiya, a lead volunteer from SKS Swaminarayan Temple, further reinforced the message of giving selflessly and emphasised that organ donation should be considered by all Hindus. East Ham MP Stephen Timms was also present and he thanked the temple for taking this initiative and explaining this important information to community members. This event was well attended and received positive feedback from volunteers and devotees.

Fundraising For All

Even though we may be a small temple, we love punching above our weight by finding creative ways in which we can help those in need. After all, “seva muktishcha gamyatam” – seva is mukti (liberation). We have ran numerous fundraising events over the years for world disasters and local charities raising a staggering over £350,000 for various causes. Some of these are listed below to give further flavour:-