Visitor Opinions – Schools (2010)
2019 – 2018 – 2017 – 2016 – 2015 – 2014 – 2013 – 2012 – 2011 – 2009 – 2008 – 2007 – 2006 – 2005
It was a wonderful experience for both adults and children alike. I came away feeling refreshed and calm.
Karen Landi
Brown Owl Group Leader
1st New Southgate Brownies
London
16 January 2010
I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who made our visit such a success on Wednesday. The children (and adults) were stunned by the beauty of the Mandir and we all came away with a much better understanding of the Hindu faith and the role that the Mandir plays in that. Everyone was so welcoming and accommodating and I look forward to bringing our year 4’s again next year. Please pass on our thanks to all those involved.
Claire Castle
RE Coordinator
Newnham Junior School
Middlesex
20 January 2010
It is a beautiful exhibition and we all really enjoyed it. I have been three times and each time I love it.
Joanna Berwitz
RE Coordinator
South Hampstead Junior School
London
22 January 2010
Best shop in any place of worship I have ever visited. Nice friendly helpful shop staff too.
Helen Golden
Head of Religious Studies
Friends School
Essex
22 January 2010
An excellent, educational and enjoyable visit – Thank you very much.
Alison Upton
Head of Religion & Philosophy
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School
Kent
28 January 2010
So well organised with such calm transitions from one activity to the next. This is my 10th year visiting – a wonderful day!
Gayle Burch
Head of RE
The Warriner School
Oxfordshire
28 & 29 January 2010
It’s a well-balanced educational visit including aspects of learning which are social, intellectual, attitudinal and spiritual.
Janet Monahan
Senior Lecturer RE, Spirituality
University of Hertfordshire: B Ed1
Herts
2 February 2010
Very friendly and welcoming place, the children enjoyed the visit. The staff in the Mandir were particularly friendly.
Sarah Hall
Class Teacher
Beckford Primary School
London
9 February 2010
Really efficient through internet booking – no problems at all. The organization and general experience could not have been better. The children gained knowledge of Hinduism that could not have been achieved in the classroom.
Tracy Massie
Teacher
Brill School
Bucks
25 February 2010
Students gained high level knowledge and understanding of both the architecture and building of the Mandir & of its functions in worship and place within the community.
Julia Linsley
Head of RE
Shaftesbury School and Sports College
Dorset
17 & 18 March 2010
I am sending you my thanks for making our visit to Neasden Swaminarayan Mandir so enjoyable and so successful. This trip is always a highlight of the year for our Year Eight students. Even when they are in the Sixth Form, they still mention this trip.
Our pupils really enjoyed seeing a way of worship which is quite different from anything they have experienced before now. And they all appreciated the fact that they were made so welcome.
Diane Saywack
Head of Religious Studies
Norwich School
1 April 2010
Thank you so much for welcoming us so kindly on Saturday. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is the most wonderful place. We will have an enduring memory of your wonderful marble temple with its superb carvings. So beautiful and so inspiring. We were amazed it was all made possible by volunteers. We very much enjoyed our visit and learnt so much from our guide and the film. Your museum is a revelation, and we were delighted to be able to attend your prayers. Please pass on our thanks to everyone who made our visit so enjoyable.
Alice Sielle
Organiser
Belief in Bow
London
8 May 2010
Both the children and adults thoroughly enjoyed their visit. They gained much from the experience & grew in their knowledge of the Hindu Faith. Thank you!
Selina Donnellan
Class Teacher
Convent of Jesus & Mary RC Infant School
London
21 May 2010
Thank you for all your assistance in the planning of our trip and all that was done yesterday to make our trip a smooth and positive experience. The pupils’ learning was enriched and they all thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Collette Parr
Teacher
Isle of Sheppey Academy
Kent
9 June 2010
We have very much enjoyed visiting the temple over the years and you have always given us such a warm welcome which has been much appreciated.
I wish you all every success and hope the temple will go from strength to strength. Many thanks again for the generous welcome and enjoyable experiences that you have enabled 1000’s of our students to enjoy over the last decade. They never forget their day at the Neasden Temple!
Sian McArdle
HOD
Townley Grammar School for Girls
Kent
16 & 18 June 2010
I felt very much moved by the service of Arti Ceremony and was glad to have the opportunity to participate.
Peter Sage
Head of Religious Studies
Benenden School
Cranbrook
29 June 2010
Thank you for hosting our trip. Our children and adults had a fantastic experience and you were very generous in providing us with information. I look forward to visiting again.
Tammy Whyte
Year 4 Teacher
Montem Primary School
London
2 July 2010
The children had been very excited about the trip and it more than lived up to the expectations. The organisation at the Mandir was superb and the children learned a great deal from your informative talk. The tour of the Mandir allowed the children to appreciate the sheer beauty of the building and gave them an insight into the devotion the community put into the construction. Our visit was an experience that I know both the children and adults will remember for a long time to come. Thank you so much for your generous welcome. It was most appreciated, and we look forward to visiting again in the future.
Jo Costin & Georgina Morganti
Class Teachers
St. Dunstan’s Catholic Primary School
Surrey
13 July 2010
Thank you so much for letting us visit your Mandir on the 19th July. The students were certainly in awe of the building and very much enjoyed seeing the Murti and Arti Ceremony! They have had quite a lot of trips in the last few weeks, but the trip to you has definitely stood out in their memory!
As an RE teacher, I appreciate the effort and time you have put in to facilitate their learning in this area and giving them the chance to experience different cultures!
Hopefully we can make this an annual event and I look forward to planning another trip to you next year!
Julie Fraser
Head of Religious Education
Rye College
East Sussex
19 July 2010
On behalf of the pupils and teachers at Woodford Green Prep School, I would like to thank you so much for an excellent visit to the Mandir. Once again, a new generation of children were able to experience for themselves the awe inspiring beauty of the building and the spiritual uplifting of the Arti service. We had more time this year for the exhibition tour and explanation which allowed our pupils to gain a great deal of valuable information. We hope to bring a new group of children next year and will fill in the booking form nearer the time. Thank you once again.
Sylvie Curtis
RE Coordinator
Woodford Green Prep School Essex
21 September 2010
I am pleased to enclose a donation from the students and staff of Reading Blue Coat School. We have once again enjoyed a fabulous visit to your beautiful Mandir, and we will make plans to return to you again next September. Three new members of staff accompanied us this year because they were so eager to see the Mandir for themselves. They were all deeply impressed and moved by the serenity and the spiritual warmth of the building and its living community.
I hope that our donation can be put to good use, as you continue to offer school children the opportunity to share a religious space that is rarely found outside India.
Dr Kevin Magill
Head of Religious Studies
Reading Blue Coat School
Berkshire
27 & 28 September 2010
I just wanted to say thank you very much for the wonderful visit from Pipers Girls on 28th September. It was very well organised and a brilliant educational experience for all the girls. We hope to come again next year.
Nicola Gledhill
Head of RS
Pipers Corner School
Buckinghamshire
28 September 2010
This is the second time our school has visited your temple and both times we have been struck by how friendly everyone is and how we were made to feel so welcome. Thank you.
T. Eagle
Class Teacher
Holy Trinity Lamorbey Church of England Primary School
Sidcup, Kent
15 November 2010
We are writing to thank you for our brilliant visit to the Mandir on 17 November 2010. We were all very excited because we couldn’t believe the size of it! As we stepped through the doors, we could immediately tell that a lot of thought and hard work had gone into this amazing building. The detailed carvings were really unique and impressive. We especially loved the carvings of the snake and the amazing patterns on the ceilings. Also, we really enjoyed the tour of the Mandir, as it helped us to learn a lot more about Hinduism and Hindu’s life. The prayers and service during the Arti ceremony were really wonderful to see and listen to. The gift shop had some fantastic key rings, figures and lots more.
Thank you very much for letting us visit and we hope to come again some time in the near future.
Students of Year 6
Thames Ditton Junior School
Thames Ditton, Surrey
17 November 2010
Very friendly guides, ready to help and very knowledgeable. A thoroughly impressive place to visit.
Paul Balkwill
Head of Religious Studies
Buckler’s Mead Community School
Somerset
18 November 2010
We were very late on arrival but made to feel very welcome and everybody worked very hard to be flexible and allow us to fit so much in.
Sharon O’Mahony
Class Teacher
Hatfield Heath County Primary School
Hertfordshire
23 November 2010
Year 7 students from the Colne Community School had the privilege of visiting the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in November. The students and staff found the visit very educational, thought-provoking and enjoyable and very much appreciated the efforts you made to explain to them about Hinduism and the Mandir.
Selma Southgate
Learning Outside the Curriculum
Colne Community School
Essex
25 November 2010
I just wanted to express my thanks for you hosting our visit yesterday. All the students said how amazing the building was & how much they enjoyed the day.
Mark Towse
Head of Year 7
Stanley Park High School
Surrey
15 December 2010
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