SPA UK Sandesh 2017 | Page 60

On 14th October, we also held our first ever Diwali Workshop, where everyone had a great time making Rangolis, decorating Aarti plates and divas, and making Diwali Cards. Pau bhaji and pizzas were enjoyed by all at the end! On 11th November 2017, we held our Diwali Show and AGM, which was once more a fantastic evening. We were privileged to have Andy Street, (the first ever) Mayor of the West Midlands, join the celebration and the audience was treated to some superb performances by the younger members. We have continued to build greater relationships with the local Mandirs including BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, local Samaj’s and the Hindu Council. In addition, the committee has focused on filling the gaps in meeting our statutory and legal obligations, creating standard templates that can be used by sister organisations and creating a cloud based secure document storage space which will help future executives. I am personally proud of the significant turnaround in the vibrancy within the Samaj and the increased participation in many of the events. I sincerely thank the Birmingham branch members for their support and look forward to more in the coming years. A heartfelt thanks to my executive committee of “rock stars” without whom none of the above would have been possible, and the trustees for their continued guidance and support. Finally, I am really encouraged to see new younger members now stepping up to join the committee. Piyush Ambalal Mistry President,Shree Prajapati Association Birmingham 58 vol. 42 | Prajapati Sandesh 2017