Community celebrates Nepali culture in charity fundraiser

THE Warminster community came together for an evening of cinema, Nepali food and culture recently to raise £500 for causes in Wiltshire and Nepal.

Attendees enjoyed a Nepali buffet before watching Everest, a biographical film based on the disaster in which eight people died.

“Seeing people sitting together, learning about Nepal, sharing food and making new friendships was incredibly special,” said Sisekna Limbu, founder of Our Nepali Home, which organised the event.

 

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“We wanted the evening to celebrate where we come from while creating an opportunity for people to connect, learn from one another and give back.

“At the heart of the evening was a special tribute to renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nims Dai’ Purja, the wider Himalayan and mountaineering community, and the mountaineers who have sadly lost their lives in the mountains.”

The £500 raised will be split between Wiltshire Area Youth Services, which runs the Warminster Youth Club, and Sonam Bhuti Gurung, a nursery teacher from Nepal.

“Sonam Bhuti Gurung is a nursery teacher living and working within a remote Himalayan community in Nepal,” said Sisekna.

“She does so much beyond her role as a teacher to support the children, families and people around her. The money raised will help support her school and the wider community, allowing her to continue the wonderful work she is already doing in such a remote part of the Himalayas.”

The event brought together people from different cultures, ages and backgrounds, with volunteers and members of the community helping to create an evening of food, conversation and new friendships.

Sisekna hopes the event will be the start of more cultural and fundraising activities in Warminster.

She also hopes to one day open a Nepali buffet in the town but plans to continue holding cultural events in the meantime.

“We want to build a family and a strong foundation first, getting to know our community, sharing different flavours of Nepal, learning as we go and creating lots of lovely memories along the way.

“That’s why we hope Our Nepali Home can become much more than just food. We want it to be about culture, community, friendship and giving back too. We’re hoping to organise more little pop-up events where people can taste a range of Nepali flavours, alongside more fundraising and cultural events that bring everyone together.”

For more information about Our Nepali Home events, visit https://www.facebook.com/ournepalihome