Temple celebrates 50 years at heart of community
BBCHundreds of people have flocked to a gurdwara in Telford as it celebrates 50 years since opening.
In the early 1970s, a group of Sikh families rallied together to raise £11,000 in order to buy an old primary school building so they could have somewhere to worship.
After reaching their goal in 1973, the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Hadley opened a year later - believed to be the first Sikh temple in the town.
It went on to become a hub for local residents and the place where Lord Kuldip Singh Sahota once studied and later got married.
The former leader of Telford and Wrekin Council said: “I got married in here in 1976, then when my kids were born I brought them here and when my son got married, he got married in this Sikh temple and when my grandchildren were born I brought them here to be blessed so I have a long connection with this gurdwara.”
The president of the gurdwara, Parkash Sing Shami MBE, who helped to set it up, said there were only about 25 Sikh families in the community so they reached out to family and friends for support in raising the funds.
At the time, many members of the Sikh community locally had links to the GKN Sankey plant in Hadley.
Lord Sahota explained: “The pay was only about £5 or £10 a week, that was a big sacrifice at that time and look where we are now.”
Before the temple opened, families would have to travel as far as Birmingham or Wolverhampton to find a place to worship.
Sukhdeep Chaudhari, who has been attending for 47 years, told BBC Radio Shropshire that when her children were born in hospital, they went to the temple before going home. "It’s a very big part of our lives," she said, recalling how her personal history was so entwined with the venue.
The leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, Shaun Davies, described the gurdwara as a “symbol of how Telford and Wrekin as a borough has grown”.
He continued: “The integration and unity of purpose is so important.
“There is no better example of how the community has really contributed to the wellbeing and betterment of our town.”
Belinda Ezeazu, a representative of the Nigerian community in Telford, attended anniversary celebrations on Sunday.
She said: “It's a privilege to see other people and how they are united, we are all one big happy family in this place we call our home.”
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