Leicester Mercury

Temple cyclists help to raise £600k for India Covid aid

CITY’S INDIAN COMMUNITY AMONG THOSE IN EPIC CYCLING CHALLENGE

- By ASHA PATEL asha.patel@reachplc.com @ashac_patel

city’s Indian community has helped to raise more than £600,000 towards Covid aid in India.

Thousands of people are dying every day in the country, more than 7,000km away from Leicester, in a harsh second wave of Covid-19.

Despite the distance, the devastatio­n is being felt here in Leicester, prompting members of the city’s Indian community to come together for the #CycleToSav­eLives challenge.

At the Swaminaray­an Temple, in Gypsy Lane, volunteers cycled nonstop for 48 hours, aiming to cover the distance from London to Delhi.

The challenge, which was held across three temples in the UK, including Leicester, collective­ly raised the money to supply hospitals in India with much-needed resources, such as oxygen.

Sanjiv Patel, a spokespers­on for the city temple and a challenge participan­t, said: “The need in India right now is so urgent and we’re seeing more and more people from younger background­s needing hosTHE pital care. I know personally how that feels.”

During the first national lockdown in the UK, Sanjiv and his family tested positive for Covid-19. He was hospitalis­ed along with his father who died.

A glimpse into the suffering of people in India inspired Sanjiv and many others to take part in the challenge that took place outside of the temple doors.

“We didn’t even have to go into a discussion about it, people just got on board,” he said.

“We were expecting maybe 30 to 40 volunteers, but more people wanted to get involved and we ended up with more than 100.”

Across all three Swaminaray­an temples, in Leicester, Chigwell in Essex and London, more than 800 participan­ts exceeded the original distance, reaching a total of 20,127 kilometres.

Generous donations have continued to pour in to the dedicated Just Giving page.

With the money raised, medical supplies, including 54 oxygen generators, were sent from the UK to India on Wednesday, May 5.

 ?? BAPS SWAMINARAY­AN TEMPLE LEICESTER ?? WHEELS OF FORTUNE: People taking part in the 48-hour cycling challenge at the Swaminaray­an Temple, in Gypsy Lane
BAPS SWAMINARAY­AN TEMPLE LEICESTER WHEELS OF FORTUNE: People taking part in the 48-hour cycling challenge at the Swaminaray­an Temple, in Gypsy Lane

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