Christmas spirit shines through at Oldham's new temple

Community members from the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir have rallied round to ensure that local children in impoverished households will receive a present this year

Worshippers at Oldham’s newest temple have proved that the spirit of Christmas is alive and well.

Community members from the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir have rallied round to ensure that local children in impoverished households will receive a present this year.

In a bid to help create a better Christmas for kids whose households are considered to be below the poverty line, local lady Sally Maher sent out an appeal for donations of gifts for poorer youngsters.

The scheme involved those who wanted to help buying a £15 present for their assigned kids, or donating the money for Sally and her colleagues to buy the gifts.

And temple attendees dug deep to lend their support, providing more than 200 presents for children, at a total cost of more than £3,200.

“I was absolutely blown away by the support from those who attend the temple,” said Sally.

“I was amazed by the generosity they’ve shown.

"It’s fantastic and it will definitely make a world of difference to some of the area’s less fortunate children this Christmas.”

Geeta Nardani, from the temple’s community outreach team, said: “There’s been a massive show of support from so many people who use the temple, as well as Strength Hub in Oldham, which is a gym that’s used by a lot of people who go to the temple.

“Bookers Cash and Carry in Gorton have also shown their support by donating chocolates to be given to the children with each present.

“So many people have mucked in and that’s overwhelming, especially when money is tight for so many at this time of year.”

Temple trustee Hitesh Bhudia said: “Sally has become well known in the community for her fantastic work in recent years, providing thousands of Easter eggs for those people in the borough who are less fortunate than ourselves.

“Now that she’s turned her hand to transforming Christmas for those who would otherwise be enduring a miserable time, we were only too happy to help.

“Our members contributed 217 presents, and we can only hope it helps to make the festive season that little bit more enjoyable for children around the Oldham borough.”

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