King Charles to spend time at Sikh temple, town hall and Luton Airport on visit to Bedfordshire
The King will visit a Sikh temple next week to learn about how it supports its community with food and health programmes.
He will speak to members of the community at Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Luton, one of three engagements in the town on Tuesday, learning about the programmes they deliver for the town.
The centre is a teaching and community centre for the Sikh community, handing out thousands of meals every week and becoming a pop-up vaccine hub and tackling misinformation during the pandemic.
There, King Charles will speak to volunteers who support their community and hear about the impact of food poverty in the area.
Prof Gurch Randhawa said: "The congregation at the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Luton is absolutely ecstatic that His Majesty the King is visiting us next week.
"We hope to show him the work of our kitchen, that serves 500 meals a day. We also have the Luton Sikh soup kitchen that operates every Sunday outside the Town hall, serving 150 meals.
"We hosted the Covid vaccine clinic as well. We hope that his Majesty the King can see a lot of our community projects."
The King will also visit Luton Town Hall and a new passenger transport link to London Luton Airport during his visit.
Luton Town Hall
He will be greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Susan Lousada, and the mayor of Luton, Sameera Saleem.
Outside the town hall the King will meet the public and members of local groups, including the Ghana Society, Royal British Legion, the Luton Town Football Academy, veterans, and cadets.
He will then meet staff at Luton Council and sign the visitors' book, before speaking to guests from voluntary organisations including Festus Akinbusoye, Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, who was previously supported by the Prince’s Trust, and artist Mandy Johnson, who has been commissioned by the council to produce illustrations about its social justice work.
As he leaves, the King will unveil a plaque to commemorate the visit.
Guru Nanak Gurdwara
The King will be greeted by Prof Gurch Randhawa, a member of the Sikh congregation at the Gurdwara and Deputy Lieutenant.
He will then spend time at the Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen Stand to speak to volunteers about the impact of food poverty in the area.
Inside the Gurdwara, the King will chat to children learning Punjabi and traditional music, GPs who ran the Vaisakhi vaccine clinic during the pandemic, and the volunteers who run the 24-hour kitchen, before unveiling a plaque.
In the early 1980s, Luton's Sikh community worshipped in a two-bedroom house in the town.
Guru Nanak Gurdwara is a three-story purpose-built complex which was funded by community donations, and provides Sikh religious teaching and practice, as well as voluntary social services for the elderly, youth and other groups.
Luton DART Parkway Station
The King will visit the new energy-efficient cable car to take passengers arriving at Luton Parkway on to the airport, which aims to cut carbon emissions from travellers.
After being greeted by officials, he will be shown around and meeting apprentices who worked on the project, and hear about the town's strategy to teach people new skills and get them into jobs.
The monarch will visit the control room and then take the three-minute journey to the airport terminal, where he will meet staff who work there, and unveil another plaque.
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