Newsletter No. 6                                          28^th July 2008     

Dear Elders, Brothers and Sisters,                                                                                              

Welcome to the July 2008 Newsletter, as has been the trend of late I would like to begin with updating you on progress made with our building project.  It gives me great pleasure to inform you that finally all initial formalities have been completed and we have submitted all building specifications to a number of reputed construction companies as well as invited them to submit quotations for the project.  Upon receiving various tenders we will give careful consideration as to which firm to employ.  Our choice will be to engage one who can deliver the services in time, of an exceptional quality of workmanship with a reasonable cost.  Updated plans are displayed in the temple hall for your perusal.

It goes without saying that we have a wonderful Temple and our deities are not just deities, they are Pranpratisthit representing our deep faith of which we are all proud. The progress thus so far has been possible due to the hard work and very generous donations from our all brothers, sisters and respected elders.  Now the time has come again to open your heart and support our project to achieve a very beautiful and functional dining hall, modern kitchen and a large function hall.  I would like to urge all members to donate generously and be a proud member of your temple.  Should you desire to pay by monthly Standing order; forms are available please contact our treasurer Palji.  More details about various forms of recognition of donations will be displayed on notice board.

As you are all probably aware, last month we hosted a very successful Shiv Puran by Pujya Shree Dayagiri Goswami Bapu which was expertly organised by Shree Ramdevpir Bhajanmandal and Leeds Garba Group. To add to this they also made very generous donations to our building project which are as follows:

Shri Ramdevpir Bhajan Mandal               £   5,000.00

Leeds Garba Group                      £ 10,000.00

Leeds Garba Group                      £ 10,000.00

The Leeds Hindu Charitable Trust management committee would like to express their gratitude to the Shree Ramdevpir Bhajanmandal and Leeds Garba Group for organising such a great event and very generous donations towards the ANNAPURNA RASOI GHAR.

A Very Big Thank You for Your Trust and Support

Other news includes the completion of the disabled toilet facility. Our thanks extends to FHM Builders for their help and expertise in completing such a wonderful community facility.  In addition car park lights are now installed and in use. Thanks to Leeds City Council’s lighting department for donating four lighting columns and lanterns.

Forthcoming Events

Ganesh Utsav:  Once again this year we will be celebrating Shree Ganesh Utsav and Visarjan at the River Aire. (Subject to permission from the National River Authority).  Last years event was very well attended and I look forward to seeing you all at the celebrations.

Health Fair:  With Help of Dr. Raj Menan and the Leeds primary care trust we will be hosting a health Fair in our community hall on Friday 26^th September 2008 (5.00pm – 7.00pm).  This will be a very good opportunity for temple members to find out about current health issues and how to prevent illness.  Don’t miss out on this very valuable and informative event.

Navratri:  This years Navratri Garba festival will be held again at Carr Manor high school due to their excellent facilities which include ample parking and a large hall.  Unfortunately last year we received a few complaints from neighbours with regards to noise at end of programme in the car park and surrounding streets, especially whilst waiting for transport home. The committee would like to kindly request that all members leave the event quietly and those waiting for transport do so inside the ground.  It is essential that we have a good relationship with our neighbours in order for us to continue to be allowed to use the facilities at the school.

Diwali I am pleased to announce that The Diwali Programme this year will be held at Leeds Town Hall.  A decision was made to hold the event here to its increased capacity and feedback from last year’s events regarding over crowding, hall temperature and failure of PA system.  Any members who wish to participate in this event should contact Chiragi Solanki as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment.

Durga Puja: The Durga puja committee are again in the process of organising this year’s event.  The full programme when finalised will be posted on the notice board nearer to the time.

Shree Satya Sai Baba:  The Sai Group of Leeds are also in the process of organising birthday celebrations of Shree Satya Sai Baba, again details will follow shortly.

Also please don’t forget the Grand celebrations of Shree Krishna Janmasthami and Pat Utsav.  You can find details of these events and other forthcoming events in the on programme page.  Please make your best efforts to attend and make the events as enjoyable as last year.