Temple Refurbished to Accommodate Less Able Patrons

Reading Hindu Temple is benefitting from an extensive £500,000 refurbishment, which is currently underway. This comprises a new mezzanine floor in the middle of the building to provide 4000 square feet of extra space. movemanSKG added a Prestige platform lift to allow less able patrons to access the upper level.

Part of the Reading Hindu Centre, Reading Hindu Temple is over one hundred years old and located in the heart of the town. It has a lively congregation and is a centre for Hindu’s from all walks of life. The worshipping area is on the ground floor but the temple envisages moving this upstairs imminently.

When the worshipping area moves to the new mezzanine level, downstairs will be reserved for functions, festivals and activities, such as a lunch club for elderly patrons and exercise classes for youngsters. This will help bring Reading’s Hindu community closer, as well as generate additional funds to operate and maintain the temple.

Reading Hindu Temple’s Prestige travels three metres between the two floors of the building. It features glazing in the top half of the shaft, making it an attractive unit. Aesthetics was one of the temple’s criteria when selecting the lift.

Vijay Mistry, Vice Chairman & Property Manager at the temple, explains: "Reading Hindu Temple is a religious building and we want the main focal point to be our holy idols. A stair lift or conventional lift would have been unsightly, but Prestige’s glazing gives it a light and airy appearance, complementing the building perfectly."

"movemanSKG’s quotation was very competitive and offered excellent value for money. Prestige also has numerous safety features, along with a battery-operated lowering facility in case of power supply failure. The unit ticked all our boxes, so we lost no time in ordering one. We are very happy with our decision."

The temple’s lift has power-operated doors with glass panels to improve visibility. A designated user control system, which means you need a key to operate the unit, prevents unauthorised access.

In addition to installing movemanSKG’s Prestige platform lift, Reading Hindu Temple has made other accessibility improvements. A covered walkway shelters wheelchair users as they approach the main entrance, which they can reach easily by means of a shallow ramp. New disabled toilets, also part of the refurbishment, feature on the ground floor of the building.