King to inaugurate Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Luton

THE King is expected to officially open a new gurdwara and learn about its work within the local community during his first tour as monarch of Bedfordshire.

According to local media reports, the 74-year-old King was due to inaugurate the Guru Nanak Gurdwara (GNG) Luton on Tuesday (6), as Eastern Eye went to press.

At the gurdwara, he was scheduled to be greeted by Professor Gurch Randhawa, a member of the local Sikh congregation and director of the Institute for Health Research at the University of Bedfordshire.

“We are delighted that King Charles will come to officially open our new gurdwara and recognise GNG’s amazing work supporting local communities – langar service, soup kitchen, Covid vaccine clinics,” the Guru Nanak Gurdwara Luton said in a Twitter statement.

Building work on the new gurdwara began in 2020; it is three storeys high and was funded with local donations. “The Gurdwara Sahib is an amalgamation of Sangat from Luton and the surrounding villages,” the place of worship said.

The gurdwara langar serves around 500 meals a day and the local community also runs the Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen every Sunday outside the Town Hall, serving around 150 meals. After meeting volunteers who run the Sikh School, the King was due to interact with children who are learning Punjabi and traditional music. He will then also meet local doctors who ran the Vaisakhi Vaccine Clinic during the pandemic, ‘Luton Today’ reported.

On his first visit as King to the area, he will also tour the Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (DART) Parkway Station.