Members of BAPS’s National Women’s Forum from Leicester took part in the Indian Summer Gala Evening held at the prestigious Grosvenor Hotel in Mayfair, London on Monday 14 June 2010.

The Gala Evening was organised by UK Athletics, the national governing body for athletics, in aid of Commonwealth Games England (CGE), the nation’s team of athletes competing in the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi, India in October of this year.

Many former and current Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallists as well as politicians and non-sporting dignitaries were in attendance. The BAPS volunteers provided a traditional Indian welcome for all the guests as they arrived while dholka players (traditional Indian drum-beaters) opened the evening by leading the athletes in to the main conference hall.

BAPS volunteers also contributed to the Indian theme of the evening presentations by performing a traditional Indian dance. Enthralled by the colour and elegance of the performance, Dame Kelly Holmes (President of CGE and double Olympic gold medallist) and Karen Pickering (the evening’s host and Commonwealth Games gold medallist) stepped on to the dance floor to have their photos taken with the dance team.

Ann Hogbin CBE (Chief Executive of CGE) thanked BAPS for their contribution to the Indian Summer Gala Evening, and added that all the team managers and athletes look forward to visiting and participating in India.

BAPS wishes all the athletes of Commonwealth Games England the very best of luck in doing the country proud.

Visit the We Are England site to support and learn more about the English team.

To learn more about the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, please click here.

And visit Dame Kelly Holmes’s site here to see her diary photo with the BAPS dancers.

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