Organisers of Saturday's Vaisakhi celebration in Whitwick report that over 300 people attended the event at Hall Lane Methodist Church.

It marked the event that solidified the religion as a faith - which is the formation of the Khalsa. 

It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern India.

One of the organisers, Kirat Sandhu, said: "I'm lost for words and humbled at the amount of you that came out to our Vaisakhi in Coalville event at our pop up gurdwara at Hall Lane Methodist Church.

"It was certainly a huge success, alongside some amazing food, great vibes and culture - it was an afternoon full of lots of two-way learning and genuinely understanding each other."

The event was attended by Conservative county councillor, Craig Smith, and Leicestershire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Rupert Matthews.

Kirat added: "Thank you for attending and speaking to the Sikh community of North West Leicestershire. 

"An even bigger thank you to the lady that gifted me the four books, I'm sure I will enjoy reading them all - espcially the Sikhs in World War One.

"I hope you all enjoyed yourselves - this time we hit 300-plus and definitely hit a 'personal best' - next time, let's aim to smash that.

"Together as a community, we are great and will achieve great things."

#vaisakhi2024 #vaisakhi #sikh #sikhhistory #worldwar1 #communityengagement #Inclusivity #diversity