Sabarmati House
Neighbourhood Coordinator (NC) for the area, Sharan felt that Sabarmati House often fell under the radar and that not many colleagues outside the local NC had visited or really knew about it. That was all about to change with this year's annual festive celebration on Friday 8 November, where Sharan invited residents and colleagues alike to join in on the fun.
As there are residents of many different faiths and belief systems at Sabarmati House, this celebration is non-denominational and is designed to warm and brighten up the colder, darker days with some good food, music, and a party atmosphere.
Arriving there at around 9.00am we joined them in their efforts to remind everybody about the party and to spruce up the communal lounge ready for the lunchtime party. This was done by blowing up balloons, arranging the chairs and tables, and trying (but ultimately failing) to get their antique TV box to blast out some classic Bollywood bangers. Luckily, we had a laptop on hand to do that last bit instead.
Once we'd set up, the residents began to filter in, and I took the time to meet, greet, and take photos of many of the friendly faces that filled the lounge.
Then, the food arrived!
Freshly sourced from local, pure vegetarian caterers, 4 Seasons — and once we'd helped to carry it in and ensure that there were enough serving spoons for each mammoth pot or box of Indian food goodies, we had to wait patiently for the rest of our PA guests to arrive. The waiting was certainly the most difficult part of the day because it all smelt and looked so good… and it certainly was good once we were able to dig in!
You could tell that there was a real community spirit at Sabarmati House and that the residents really enjoyed hosting and getting to meet so many PA Housing colleagues. Many residents dressed in their finest festive clothes and took the opportunity to sing and dance to the music once they'd finished their feast.
One very useful and practical part of the day was having a good managerial presence and a cross-section of colleagues from across our teams in attendance.
Sabarmati House seemed like a great scheme full of friendly, welcoming people but there were a few key areas where it needed some love. For example, the afore-mentioned ancient television set needed to be replaced so that the residents could sit and watch telly together. Also, some of the communal chairs in the hallways looked more like benches as the cushions had been removed or were worse for wear. Some of the windows and carpets looked like they could have done with a deep clean too, so it was good to have a presence from our Estates and Ground Maintenance Team. It was also suggested that the residents could also have a sound system so they could play (and dance to) some to their favourite tunes to their hearts' content. With all these being actioned, it looks like parties aren't the only things that the residents at Sabarmati will have to look forward to.
However, the festivities are not over yet for Sharan as she's doing it all again at Mahatma Gandhi House (also in Leicester) today, on Friday 15 November!
