Accessibility

There are two entrances to the Temple. The first is via the main temple doors, however this access is primarily used for special occasions. The second and main way to access the Temple is via the side door, providing direct access from the car park. These door are double width with a small ramp for wheelchair access and the elderly who find stairs difficult.

Once inside the Temple you are presented with an open hallway entrance. There is a dedicated area where you can leave your coats/jackets (please keep all valuables with you at all time) and footwear.

When entering the main entrance hall, the main worship space is on the left-hand side. This area is a ‘no noise’ area and your consideration of this policy is appreciated. This means, phones and devices should be placed ‘on silent’ beyond this point. The Temple is for worship and must be respected at all times. Where possible, please respect other peoples space and the area around them.

There are other areas within the Temple which are open for various activities such as learning, prayer, and social and business meetings. For further information please contact us: enquiries@ghanapathy.co.uk

For those individuals who have a hearing impairment, we can provide personal support.

For those individuals who have a visual impairment, we can provide guidance and support.

For those individuals who have a physical impairment:

Our main entrance door has a ramped access. Please call our priests on +44 (0)20 8542 7482 prior to your arrival so that they can unlock BOTH of our entrance doors (and main worship space doors). When the pair of doors are unlocked (and held open) the width is suitable for wheelchair access. Once inside the temple, access to both worship spaces are step-free. Regrettably our 1st floor teaching facilities are not served by an elevator.

The temple may get very congested on festival and auspicious days. For the best worship experience we recommend avoiding the busiest times.

We livestream all of our main festivals.

We have an accessible WC (with baby changing facilities).

Please contact our admin team in advance of your visit for further support for guidance.

We permit pre-booked school visits to the Temple – guided by one of our education team.

We would like to remind the teachers that while inside the Temple, you remain responsible for the behaviour of the children. We expect the rules of the Temple to be respected as well as all the devotees/people in the temple during the visit. We ask that mobile phones are switched off or on silent and noise is kept to a minimum.

We encourage the children to interact and ask questions in a respectful and peaceful manner.

During these visits, we provide light refreshments for the staff and the children. This usually consists of a selection of biscuits, water or squashes. If any children have dietary needs, please let us know in advance or make it known to us beforehand.

Please refrain from touching anything in the temple unless the guide has given you permission.

Please contact our admin team for further details and charges etc.

We have a small parking area outside the front of the Temple. Parking spaces are limited and are provided on an ‘as available’ basis. There are a limited number of pay and display bays close to the temple. Please use public transport whenever possible.

Please park considerately and do not obstruct other cars. Do not park your car where is may obstruct pedestrians or on any part of the public footway.

Take care when you are manoeuvring, particularly when entering/leaving the car park.

We often conduct car blessing poojas in the car parking area.

Please be considerate to our neighbours at all times.

Do not obstruct the driveways of any neighbouring property.

Pedestrians and mobility impaired persons have priority at all times.

The temple accepts no liability for damage or loss whilst using our facilities.

A list of the temple guidelines can be found in the entrance area of the Temple, on the noticeboard. Please make yourself and others aware of these guidelines. We want to ensure the Temple is respected as well as all the people who visit us. Some of the basic guidelines consist of:

1. Please remove your footwear on entering the Temple and place them in the shoe shelving area provided
2. If necessary, you can place your coats/jackets on top of the shoe shelves. (please be aware we take no responsibility for the loss of any personal possessions you leave in your items of clothing). 
3. If there is a service in session, please keep your noise level to a minimum when entering the Temple.
4. If you are new to the Temple, please seek a member of staff before wandering off from the entrance area
5. Please let someone know if you have parked in the car park or blocked another vehicle in. We have a vehicle logbook in the entrance hall near the noticeboard. Please sign in with your name, vehicle registration, phone number and whereabouts within the Temple.

We are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for those that benefit from our services to the community and participate in the activities that we organise.

Our premises are used by partner organisations that share our commitment to preserving our cultural identity, traditions and customs. They also share our commitment to safeguarding.

We believe that children, young or vulnerable persons should never experience abuse of any kind.

We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children, young people and the vulnerable; to keep them safe and to conduct ourselves in a way that protects them.

We recognise that:

• the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take;
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, gender, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse
• some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues
• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

We will seek to keep children safe by:

• valuing, listening to and respecting them and their wishes;
• appointing a nominated child protection lead for children and young people, and a board member for safeguarding
• adopting child protection and safeguarding best practices through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers
• providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and other measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently
• recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all appropriate checks are made and that they are appropriately supervised in their activities
• recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance
• making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern
• using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
• using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
• creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise
• ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place
• ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
• building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns

Our safeguarding policy is implemented and fully supported by our executive board.

Designated safeguarding lead

Dr L Parvataneni (secure email address: safeguarding@ghanapathy.com)

We must insist that your behaviour within the main Temple and other areas of the Temple be respectful. We will not tolerate any aggression toward others nor will we tolerate any aggressive confrontation toward our staff members.

We reserve the right to refuse entry to the Temple, based upon our judgement. Where necessary, we will contact the authorities if we feel any threat of aggression or violence toward anyone in the Temple or on our grounds.

We take diversity and inclusion very seriously and will not tolerate racism, ageism, sexism, ethnic abuse, or any other type of repression.