Bharati Shakha Newbury organise town hall coffee morning and raise £1,670 for The Castle School and Children in Need

Members of a local branch of a national Hindu organisation held a coffee morning in Newbury Town Hall to raise money for children’s charities.

Organised by Bharati Shakha Newbury, a branch of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) UK, an impressive £1,670 was raised for The Castle School and Children in Need.

The money was raised through the sale of home-cooked Indian savouries and sweets at the coffee morning, which took place in the town hall on Saturday, June 11.

HSS volunteer Sanjeev Agarwala said: “It was a fantastic event and it went better than our expectations. We are encouraged by the response, we hope to organise similar fund-raising events in the future.”

Guests at the coffee morning included most of the Newbury Town Council members, including mayor Gary Norman and deputy mayor Nigel Foot.

The coffee morning began at 9.30am, and due to the high demand from residents for the food on offer, members of Bharati Shakha Newbury were kept busy until 12.30pm.

Mr Agarwala said: “Apart from the volunteers from Bharati Shakha Newbury, the wider Newbury community joined this drive and contributed greatly.”