‘No other place to go’: NI Sikhs eagerly await reopening of place of worship

Manpreet Kaur Sandhu, a trustee at the Northern Ireland Sikh Association outside the renovated building in Derry. Photograph: Paul Faith/The Guardian

For Manpreet Kaur Sandhu, a member of Northern Ireland’s small Sikh community, the gurdwara is a lifeline.

The 56-year-old has worshipped for almost 30 years at the Northern Ireland Sikh Association in Derry, one of two Sikh places of worship – known as gurdwaras – in Northern Ireland. But a fire in 2021 led to its closure.