London, 21 November 2010 – Members of the City Hindus Network, a non-profit organisation for professionals mainly from the Hindu community working in London, today participated in National Sewa Day, a day of social action, by volunteering to clean and renew Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets and distribute food at homeless shelters in Brent, Camden and Westminster.

The team of nearly 40 volunteers from 28 City firms planted over 3000 spring bulbs, dug up nearly 300 planting areas, collected more than 420 items of food and toiletries and helped feed 85 homeless people.

In doing so, the CHN fulfilled the three aims of National Sewa Day to relieve hardship and poverty, bring a little joy where none exists and to help the environment.

Two teams collected food and toiletry donations from local shoppers in Brent, Camden and Westminster, as well as from their respective workplaces during the day leading up to the day. Another team weeded, mowed, pruned and dug up Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets to be able to plant spring bulbs for next season.

Pratik Dattani, chairman of the City Hindus Network, participating in the Victoria Park project, said: “Despite the inclement weather, it was great to see so many people give up their time to help the community. Participants really got into the spirit of the day.”

Param Singh from the City Sikhs Network, who led the activities in conjunction with the City Hindus Network at Brent and Camden, said “People were very generous in giving food and toiletries and I was so pleased when store managers of high street supermarkets went into their store room and came back out with bundles of food.”

For more information on National Sewa Day please see www.nationalsewaday.org.

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The CITY HINDUS NETWORK (CHN) is a non-profit organisation with a membership of around 1,000 professionals who mainly work in the financial services and related industries in the City of London and Canary Wharf. Its activities include organising major networking and education events each year, consultation with local and national governmental bodies and other non-governmental organisations, running a mentoring scheme for its members and promoting volunteering and charity work. It was founded by Dhruv Patel and is currently chaired by Pratik Dattani.

The CITY SIKHS NETWORK (CSN) is a non-profit organisation set up in 2010 and led by Param Bhatia. Its aim is to be the leading provider of personal and professional development within the Sikh community. The CSN aims to inspire people to be the best they can be and to provide a platform for engagement with the Sikh community and through its works towards a more diverse and inclusive society.

NATIONAL SEWA DAY (NSD) is a social action initiative.  The social action day recognises the need for local communities to take the responsibility for overcoming the challenges of disadvantage & deprivation by harnessing resources and talents that exist within them.

National Sewa Day took place on 21^st November 2010, and has secured the participation of over 100 diverse organisations which results in approx 5,000 people engaged in addressing issues connected with deprivation and disadvantage. Within five years, we believe over 50,000 will participate in National Sewa Day.

Having studied existing initiatives like Habitat for Humanity, Make A Difference Day, Mitzvah Day etc, the organisers seek to leverage, primarily but not exclusively, the support & talents of the Black & Ethnic Minority community in contributing towards a more prosperous Britain.