Following its purchase, a lot of
time and effort was invested by
SPA volunteers, young and old,
who took responsibility to help
the development of the building.
The building was acquired at the
beginning of 1992 and it was a race
against time to have the building
ready for Navratri, which was
successfully achieved.
“...funds raised for
various charities exceed
£100,000.”
This has allowed us to organise
many events for SPAL, SPA (UK)
B R ANCH
REPORT
and private
functions.
SPAL has
evolved over time. With the support
of members and volunteers, we
have progressed and have made
improvements to the building to
ensure we keep up with time.
There have been many special
events to raise funds for various
charities such as Children in Need,
LOROS and Water Aid to name a
few. The funds raised for various
charities exceed £100,000. Many
of the members have taken it upon
themselves to raise money for the
charity of their choice and continue
to do so.
Some of the SPAL Volunteers at
Senior Samelan 2015
In recent years, however, it is true to say that interest in SPA activities is diminishing from the middle and
younger generation. Our experiences show that:
1. When SPAL was first established, there were less
than 500 households. At the time, the choices of
places to visit and socialise was limited; there was
no convenient transport available or the means for
communication via phone or computer as we
have today.
3. There was a good involvement from our youths at
the time even though this same age group were
going to school, college, university and work just
like today’s youths. Yet today, the majority of the
middle and younger generation are too busy in
their own interests
2. There was parental support and encouragement,
and the majority of the members participated in
SPA activities as a family
4. The initial work that the members (both young
and old) did during the 70s, 80s and 90s, have
allowed our Samaj to became the envy of all other
communities in Leicester
I would also like to take this
opportunity to capture some
history for our middle and younger
generation.
and relatives grew apart. So now
many parents and children live apart
and only see their children and
grandchildren on special occasions.
Many of our members arrived in the
UK in the 50s, 60s and 70s with little
as £3.00. Many accepted whatever
job came their way (even though
some were well qualified), to ensure
that their family were looked after.
They bought small town houses, and
in some cases they did not borrow
from the bank but from friends and
relatives, which they repaid within
2-5 years. They gave priority to
educate their children and ensured
they were not short of things that
they failed to get when they were
children.
Grandparents generally aim to
attend all SPAL events, as this is a
place where they can interact with
other people. It is this generation
who are the biggest contributors to
Samaj events. There may be many
issues that are not satisfactory in
the running of the day-to-day Samaj
activities, but for many Samaj holds
high values and it is a lifesaver. There
is always room for improvement if
people participate.
As children grew up, many stayed
with parents, moved to new homes
after marriage or moved to other
towns where the job took them. As
they engaged with new friends, their
interests and priorities changed and
links with their own family circle
My message to the middle and
the younger generation (who are
in their 20s to 50s) is that there
is very strong legacy created by
your parents and grandparents
over the last forty years. You have
the modern know how to keep
that legacy going, but it requires
your support and commitment to
take it to the next level. “Where
there is a will, there is a way”.
Also remember that many global
companies send people on training
courses to give them management
experiences. Being part of the Samaj
committee will give you endless
real life skills from management
to event planning, culture change,
accountancy, graphics design,
multimedia and so on. Any global
company will be proud to employ
someone with this background!
If we work as a TEAM (Together
Everyone Achieves More) there
is a lot that we can achieve. Our
members are proud of the work the
volunteers do and are praised for
their time and commitment. Why
not come forward, speak to your
local branch representatives and get
involved to continue the legacy that
your children will be proud of.
Jayantilal D Mistry
President (Leicester Branch)
vol. 40 | Prajapati Sandesh 2015 | www.prajapati.org.uk
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