80 ladies from Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kingsbury took part in the annual Midnight Walk organised by, and in support of, the St Luke’s Hospice. In total, over 1500 members of the local community took to the streets to help raise money for this fantastic cause.

The event forms part of a series of charitable endeavors the Mandir is undertaking to countdown to this year’s Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Smruti Mandir Rajat Mahotsav; a celebration of the life of Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa and the importance He placed on selfless giving and serving others. Acharya Swamishree Maharaj explains that, “Dedicating one's life to the service of others is the truest celebration of a festival”.

The two youngest participants from the mandir, Ishvari Varsani and Dilsha Patel aged just 12 years old raised a fantastic £400 between them.

Dilsha explained, ‘I took part in the midnight walk in memory of my nana, we lost him to cancer 8 years ago and although I was young, I remember there was a shortage of beds in the hospice. This encouraged me to help raise money for St Luke’s so they could provide extra care to those in need.’

Ishvari described ‘I did the walk in memory of my grandad. He often said to me that helping others is something that Jeevanpran Swamibapa explained is our duty. I know the money we raised will help others who need it. It was great fun to walk all that way with my friend and all those from Kingsbury Mandir’

Supporting the walkers were forty volunteers from the Mandir who acted as stewards, providing security along the nine-mile route through Harrow. Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Dhol Academy entertained and warmed up the crowds at the start of the Midnight Walk route at Harrow Leisure Centre, their drum beats raised the spirits and heartbeats of the crowd before the long walk ahead.