Temple Shows Bags of Generosity to Birmingham Hospice
Nov 10, 2010
Kind-hearted worshippers at a Black Country Hindu temple have shown bags of generosity to a Birmingham hospice.
The Balaji Temple in Oldbury has handed 30 large bags of foreign coins donated by devotees from around the world to Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, which provides vital palliative care to people with life-limiting illnesses from Birmingham and Sandwell.
The bags contain currency from all four corners of the globe from Canadian dollars and euros to Indian rupees, and were collected over a period of around 15 years.
They were originally intended to go towards the building of the main temple, which opened in August 2006. But developers of the series of shrines off Dudley Road East found themselves stuck with the coins after local banks declined to convert them to pounds sterling.
A solution was found, however, when temple founder, trustee and treasurer Dr Kandiah Somasundara-Rajah (pictured with fundraiser Jo Proudler and temple chairman Dr Narayan Rao) spotted an advert in Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice’s Fundraising News appealing to people to donate unwanted foreign currency.
Dr Rajah, who practises in Moseley, Birmingham, said the temple had held on to the coins for quite a few years: “We really were at a loss as to what to do with this money. We were unable to use it but we knew it had value so were not going to simply dispose of it, particularly as it was given with such generosity and kindness by people from around the world.
“So you can imagine how delighted we were when we found they could go to such a great local cause. I know those who gave the coins would be supportive and happy about this donation, and as a doctor who has referred people to Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, including a family member, I’m confident the money will be put to good use.”
Birmingham St Mary’s Head of Fundraising and Marketing Caroline Taylor said the coins had caused a lot of excitement at the Hospice.
She said: “This is a wonderful and unique donation and we are truly grateful to the Balaji Temple for their support. The coins are being sent to our converter who will give us a figure in pounds sterling in a few days time, and I’m sure it will make a big difference to people with life-limiting illnesses across Birmingham and Sandwell.”
The Balaji Temple, which opened in August 2006, is the largest Hindu temple of south Indian architecture in Europe honouring the deity Shri Venkateswara. It replicates the Tirupati Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, India, which is the second biggest religious centre in the world after the Vatican. Around 230,000 devotees visit the Oldbury site annually.
The temple was founded by its current chairman and retired GP Dr Narayan Rao, who devoted his entire working life to caring for people across the Black Country.
He was extremely happy that the foreign coins were being donated to such an excellent local cause.
“I am keen to support hospices as I’ve seen the work they do. I would like to see more of this kind of work in the Black Country, because I believe everybody should have access to hospice care at the end of life. We are delighted to help Birmingham St Mary’s and wish them well for the future,” Dr Rao, who is also chairman of the Balaji Trust, said.
Since its launch in 1979, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has cared for tens of thousands of people with life-limiting illnesses, such as cancer, motor neurone disease and MS.
With around 52 percent of the Hospice’s budget reliant on public goodwill, community fundraising is crucial to ensuring its highly specialised services can continue to be offered to the people of Birmingham and Sandwell.
In addition to a 25-bed Inpatient Unit, Birmingham St Mary’s boasts a 20-place Day Hospice and provides community care to people who wish to stay in their own homes.
The Hospice also supports relatives with bereavement preparation, physiotherapy tuition and counselling in addition to many other services.
Annual running costs stand at £6.3 million, with around £1 million being raised in the Hospice’s shops and £2.7 million via fundraising. The remainder comes from the NHS.
Birmingham St Mary’s nurses, often referred to by patients and relatives as ‘angels’, are renowned for going that extra mile to ensure people with terminal illnesses enjoy the best possible quality of life.
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