A file photo of the Goa Carnival float staged by the Goa Swindon Association in Swindon.
THE GOAN NETWORK | LONDON
With an estimated 25,000 Goans living in Swindon, uniting the community, catering to their needs and highlighting their issues has been the focus of the Goa Swindon Association (GSA) for over two decades.
Whether it has been providing assistance to new Goan families arriving in Swindon to providing support towards the funeral of a departed Goan or repatriation of bodies to Goa, a group of Goans at the GSA have been rendering financial, social, cultural and emotional support to the Goan community.
Goa Swindon Association President Nelson Carvalho (extreme left) and GSA Treasurer Antonio Lopes (extreme right) handing over a cheque to a member of the Brighter Futures charity in Swindon.
PURPOSE
Commenting on the purpose of setting up the association, the Goa Swindon Association (GSA) President Nelson Carvalho said: “It all began when one Goan passed away in Swindon and had no family in Swindon. We then got together to offer assistance for the final rites.”
“The GSA was founded in early 2001 when Goans with Portuguese passports started moving to UK. At present, we have about 15,000 people for Sunday Masses at our Holy Rood Catholic Church, St Peter’s Catholic Church, St Mary’s Catholic Church and Holy Family Catholic Church. Going by these estimates, we may have over 25,000 Goans residing in Swindon.”
ACTIVITIES
The GSA has proudly showcased Goan culture and identity in Swindon. Besides staging a Carnival parade a few years ago, the GSA has been hosting the Annual Goan Summer Festival (Goa Day) every July.
In addition, the GSA supports various causes, both in Swindon and in Goa.
“Since 2007, we have our GSA Bereavement Fund, where members pay £20 every year and get a benefit of £3,000 as assistance towards the funeral of their loved ones or repatriation of bodies to Goa,” said Carvalho.
“We would earlier help new arrivals in Swindon but now most of the new arrivals are having someone relative or friend to assist them.”
“We also work alongside Fr Lucas Rodrigues to raise funds to have our own community hall. This year’s Christmas raffle and proceeds will go towards the community hall fund.”
“During the Covid pandemic, we collected and distributed food and essentials to over 300 needy families. We also provided PPE kits and food packets in Goa during the worst wave of the pandemic and raised over £9,000 for the cause,” Carvalho added.
“We also support our Swindon-based charity called ‘Brighter Futures’ which helps our NHS Great Western Hospital where many of our Goans work. This Charity supplies hospital equipment to improve functioning at the hospital and financial aid. We had raised funds during the Covid pandemic.”
ISSUES
Carvalho said the GSA has been closely involved in raising and highlighting local issues with their elected representatives.
“We have 4 Goan-origin councillors – Imtiyaz Shaikh and his wife, Adorabelle Amaral-Shaikh, Lourenco Cipriano Fernandes and Annabelle Pegado – who deal with such matters as immigration but we have our representatives to help when High Commission have their open days in Swindon.”
“Earlier, we used to raise local issues ourselves but now our Goan-origin councillors highlight these issues on our behalf. Some of the many issues pertain to passports and residency.”
Veteran Goan leader Keith Vaz addressing Goans in Swindon at an event hosted by the Goa Swindon Association.
