SWINDON'S Hindu community will gather to celebrate their seventh consecutive Saraswati Puja and everyone is welcome to join them.

The multi-cultural family-friendly extravaganza to honour the goddess of wisdom, art, science and philosophy will be held at the Punjabi Community Centre in Cricklade Road on Sunday February 10.

It begins at 2.30pm with a religious ceremony of prayer and contemplation.

A celebration of Hindu culture kicks off at 6pm, with a special programme of dancing and music.

Food and refreshments will be provided at 7pm, followed by another hour of entertainment.

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Entry is free, though members of the Swindon Puja Committee that organised the event have suggested making a donation of £2 towards covering its costs.

Hindus believe that the revered goddess Saraswati endows all human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom and learning.

The Saraswati Puja regularly attracts around 1,000 people each year in Swindon and organisers hope that this year's will be just as successful.

The Swindon Puja Committee made the judges' shortlist for the Pride of Swindon awards in 2017.

The aims and objectives of the Puja Committee are to promote culture and heritage, supporting the society that they live in and reinforce future generations with meaningful values.

The committee strives to keep culture and heritage alive through religious events, social and educational activities and cultural programs throughout the year, and encourages people of different cultural backgrounds to get involved.