Sangat Advice Centre Harrow organised a special event on 8 May to thank the donors and volunteers who helped selflessly in the planning, operation and execution of Sangat Warm Bank. The event also extended congratulations to His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla on the occasion of Their Majesties’ coronation. Pravinchandra Ranpura Chair of Sangat Advice Centre said, “Without active involvement of the donors and volunteers it was impossible to run the Warm Bank project successfully. It is heartening that Sangat Warm Bank’s efforts are supporting the community during these difficult times. When the Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, CB Patel, learned about the project, he immediately contacted the team and the very next day, the team received a cheque for £2500.”Kanti Nagda MBE, CEO of Sangat Advice Centre said, “To serve the community is not an easy task. The Warm Bank not only provides a warm and safe space for people to escape the cold but also offers a range of activities to promote social interaction and mental well-being. It is a testament to the power of collective action and the impact that small acts of kindness can have on people’s lives. In four months, the Warm Bank project was able to serve 9648 cups of coffee, 642 packets of biscuits and 3109 lunches.”CB Patel, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar said, “Long live the King and very long-long live organisations like Sangat. I recall that in 1982, the Commission for Racial Equality had reported that there were 600 Gujarati organisations in social, religious, cultural, political fields. Most of them grew like mushrooms in the monsoon. Very few have consistently provided three things- service according to the constitution, proper accounting and transparency. In the present scenario, according to my information, there are three outstanding organisations. In the religious sector, it is BAPS, when it comes to the community organisation it is SKLPC and in the multiple services it is Sangat.”Endorsing CB’s work, senior journalist Vipul Kalyani added, “To run newspapers uninterruptedly for 50 years, specifically in Europe is a big achievement.” Melodious songs were presented by Raj Gambhir and Kalpana Sangani.
