Sikhs raise £1.5m to use ex-MoD site for worship

The Sikh community in Surrey has raised £1.5m to transform a former Ministry of Defence (MoD) building into a place of worship.

The ex-military base in London Road in Camberley, which went up for auction in November with a guide price of £850,000, is now set to become the county's very first Gurdwara.

Including an army reserve centre and caretaker's house, the 10,000 sq ft (929 sq m) site had been previously described by an MoD spokesperson as "surplus to defence requirements".

Campaign manager Deepak Singh Udassi, 43, said he was "thrilled" to have finally found a permanent base.

One of those central to the fundraising effort, he explained how once the gavel went down at auction and the bid had been won, they only had until the end of that day to come up with the £140k deposit.

"We then had 28 days to find the rest of the million and a half in order to complete," he added.

"That's a lot of phone calls and emails, but luckily the community really came together and we got there."

Mr Udassi said that he hoped the Gurdwara would open in April 2025, while an open day is set for 15 December to allow people to see their plans for the building.

He added that, as well as a place of worship, it would also serve as a community centre, a food bank and somewhere to come during the winter months to stay warm.

There is also a service planned to deliver hot meals to those in need, as well as "hospital drop-offs for the elderly and infirm".

"A key pillar of the Sikh faith is to serve those less fortunate, so we really want to make it a place for everyone," said Mr Udassi.

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