Telford is set to be the first site in Shropshire for a Hindu Cultural Resource Centre and temple by the end of the year.
The Hindu Cultural Resource Centre (HCRC) group, which formed last year, has raised nearly £50,000 towards the project and is in the final stages of negotiations with Telford & Wrekin Council to buy the former community centre in Dawley Bank.
The group hopes to see the building transformed into a centre for the whole community with plans including a Shri-Radha-Krishna Temple, yoga centre, library and Indian social centre. There will also be a space for computer classes and workshops including yoga and Indian cooking.
Group members hope local schools will use the facility to learn more about Indian culture, arts and crafts as part of RE lessons.
People currently travel to Wolverhampton, Dudley or Birmingham for such facilities.
It’s hoped the centre will open in the autumn in time to celebrate Divali.
Saroj Sharma, chairman and founder of the HCRC group, said: “We are hoping to get some funding from the Lottery to get a centre manager.
“I think it would be wonderful for Shropshire. Children would be able to visit it and not have to travel outside the county.”
Derek Osborn, a Telford yoga teacher, is helping raise cash for the project by holding a yoga summer school in August.
He said: “This will be the first Indian Hindu Cultural Resource Centre in Shropshire. It is very important.
“I am hoping the purchase will go through during the course of this summer, but these things always take longer than you think. It is all in the advanced stages and negotiations are being done.
“It’s amazing, some people have been really generous with donations. One person gave a dontation of £5,000. People involved really want it to work. They are very keen.”
The HCRC group currently hold monthly meetings at the Hadley Community Centre, and are continuing to fundraise in order to revamp the inside with Indian decor.
To enrol on the Telford Yoga Summer School, on Wednesdays in August from 7.15pm until 8.45pm, call Derek Osborn on 07791182085. The course costs £24.