Faith

St. Mary's Church are holding a Christmas Bazaar at St. Mary's Parish Centre, Neasden Lane on 28th November 12.30pm - 4pm. Entrance 50p.

THE World renowned BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, in Neasden, has been presented the prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Service because of its successful Children's Forum.
The highly acclaimed honour sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering.
Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant for Greater London, Sir David Brewer and the Deputy Lieutenant, Mei Sim Lai visited earlier this month to present the award.
The Mayor of Brent, Councillor Jim O'Sullivan was also there to watch the ceremony.
After being warmly welcomed by young boys and girls of the BAPS Children's Forum, all
distinguished guests were escorted to a special exhibition showcasing the academic,
recreational, environmental, and social activities carried out by the Forum.
Another section highlighted its community work in aid of charities such as Children in
Need, The Anthony Nolan Trust, and Blue Peter's Shoe Biz Appeal.
The guests were then shown around the Mandir's sanctorum where they spent a few moments
admiring its intricate and world famous architecture.
Upon entering the Haveli Prayer Hall, the Lord-Lieutenant was greeted by rapturous
applause from more than 4,000 guests.
Swayamprakash Swami, also known as Doctor Swami, garlanded the Lord-Lieutenant and welcomed him in a traditional manner.
Thirteen-year-old Tilak Patel confidently spoke about the BAPS Children's Forum, highlighting its role in nurturing children during challenging times.
The Lord-Lieutenant presented the Queen's Award crystal and a certificate, personally signed by Her Majesty the Queen, to Doctor Swami, the trustees and the national coordinators of the BAPS Children's Forum.
The ceremony concluded with a traditional Indian dance.
The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service was created by Her Majesty to mark the occasion
of her Golden Jubilee in 2002. For further details of the Award, visit www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi at a Brent school.

The royal couple visited The Swaminarayan School in Neasden to watch youngsters perform in white robes before throwing coloured dyes and water on each other while traditional Indian music was played.

Hindu's celebrate Holi to mark the arrival of spring and the change of seasons by spraying colour.

However the couple were spared being covered in dye and instead threw flower petals over the children once they'd stained themselves in vibrant colours.

His Royal Highness and the Duchess of Cornwall were taken on a tour of the school which was founded in 1991 by Shri Pramukh Swami Maharaj, a spiritual guru of an international Hindu organisation known as BAPS (Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha).

The school is a non-profit making independent school for children aged from two-and-a-half to 18.

Parishioners at a church in north Wembley are celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Earlier this month more than 300 people attended a special service led by the Bishop of Willesden.

Photos capturing the church's five-decade history were also displayed reviving memories among the congregation.

Reverend Fraser McDermott, vicar of St Cuthbert's, said: "It was a wonderful occasion celebrating the ongoing success and worship on the Sudbury Court Estate."

Cara Lovell, parishioner, was also at the service. She said: "Since it opened 50 years ago St Cuthbert's Church has been a pivotal part of the local community.

"Fun days, toddlers' groups, youth clubs and much more have been enjoyed by people across the Sudbury Court Estate.

"The church family continues to grow, participates in lots of lively activities throughout the week and enjoys an international flavour with 23 nations represented among the congregation."

Throughout 2009 there will be more events planned to celebrate the church's anniversary year including quiz nights, jazz evenings, children's parties and treasure hunts.

For more details visit or call the church office on 020 8904 8599.

All of the borough's diverse communities are invited to come together for Brent Holocaust Memorial Day.

Brent is marking the nationally recognised event at its town hall in Forty Lane, Wembley, between 2.30pm and 4pm on Sunday.

There will be talks by representatives of the Anne Frank Trust, anti-facism magazine Searchlight and the anti-racism football campaign Kick it Out.

Brent Junior Choir will also perform throughout the afternoon along with pupils from Claremont High School, who will read poems.

Reverend Anthony Wolfson, Wembley United Synagogue, will lead a memorial prayer in Hebrew and English followed by a one minute silence to close the commemoration ceremony.

By Elaine Okyere

Emigrating to new country is a big step and one Stanmore man is making it a journey of a lifetime by driving 2,500 miles to his new home in Israel.
Aly Singer, of London Road, is taking part in a charity car rally from London to Jerusalem, but instead of returning home with the other participants he will be starting a new life in the country.
The 28-year-old said: "It's quite an interesting way to do it, I didn't choose for it to happen like this, but it's a great opportunity.
"From a personal perspective I think a lot of Jewish people my age want to live there. I see Israel as my spirtual and historical homeland and somewhere that I want to take my life."
Mr Singer set off on the epic journey on May 18 with his friend Yaniv Cohen, from Manchester, as part of the JNF car rally. The rally started at 7am in Waterloo Place, in London, before venturing to France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and finally Israel. JNF is a humanitarian charity, which helps support communities in Israel by building reservoirs, recycling schemes, housing and healthcare centres.
The Stanmore and Canons Park synagogue member will be completing his journey in a 1948 Rolls Royce silver racer in 18 days. Living abroad will not be a new experience for Mr Singer who previously lived in New York for a year, however Mr Singer feels that this move will be permanent.
He said: "I have visited Israel a number of times and my brother lives out there, but apart from that I don't have any other close family in the country, but a lot of my friends are living there already.
"My family has been really supportive and I will miss my parents, but this will give them the chance to visit me abroad."
The pair are sponsored by Nefesh B'Nefesh, an organisation which helps British immigrants start new lives in Israel.
The trip will end with Mr Singer and Mr Cohen being presented with Israeli identity cards at the Israeli Parliament by the Head of State and other dignitaries.

Visitors are invited to join Stanmore Baptist Church's House Group, which meets fortnightly for social evenings.

The group is due to meet on Wednesday (21) at 8pm. For details of the location call the church office on 020 8954 2250.