Discover Sanatan SEVA Charitable Trust
Welcome to the heart of our mission. Learn about the Sanatan SEVA Charitable Trust, our commitment to wellbeing, cultural preservation, and community growth in Ashford, Kent. We are building a Centre of Excellence for everyone.
Our mission: Vibrational awakening and community strength
Sanatan means “Holy” and SEVA (a selfless act) is an abbreviation for Spirituality, Service to community, Empathy, Education, Energy, Voluntary, Vibrational, and Awakening (of consciousness). It also represents a Selfless Effort for Vibrational Awakening for all communities seeking respite from daily stress and offering solace to elderly parents experiencing loneliness.
The Sanatan SEVA Charitable Trust's mission is to deliver a permanent, accessible, and self-sustaining community infrastructure that: promotes wellbeing and mental health; preserves and celebrates cultural and spiritual heritage; strengthens community cohesion and interfaith harmony; and drives economic growth and regional regeneration.
The Trust is spearheaded by Dr Matta Venkataramanaiah Setty (MBBS, MBE), who served as a General Practitioner in Singleton, Ashford, and has made outstanding contributions to community development in Ashford, Kent since 1976 for which he was conferred with MBE.
Dr Setty was the first to approach Ashford Borough Council in 1984 to request a dedicated community space, at a time when there were fewer than 10–12 Indian families in Ashford and the surrounding villages.
He continued his efforts over the decades, making significant attempts to secure land for this purpose. In 2011, he bid for the site through Ashford Borough Council where Hinxhill Park development has come now and in 2021, he bid for a site at Drover Retail Park (now occupied by Home Bargains and Costa) through council auctions of brownfield land. On both occasions, the bids were unsuccessful due to competition from commercial developers. His sole objective throughout has been to establish an inclusive community and religious space open to all.
The Trust is further supported by four senior trustees, each with 20–35 years of dedicated community service across various leadership and trustee roles. In addition, 15 Senior Advisors have been appointed each one, bringing 30–45 years of expertise in community space development, finance, and mental health, fully aligned with the Trust’s vision.
A Centre of Excellence for everyone
The proposed development, estimated at £23–25 million, will comprise a Traditional Temple (800 people), Mindfulness Centre (capacity 500), Meditation Centre (capacity 500), and Yoga Centre (capacity 500), Yagyashala (capacity 200 people) alongside a Community Event Hall (capacity 1,200) and a Food Hall with Kitchen (600 people). It will also feature Cultural Retail, Staff Residences (25 people), 10 acres of Green Space, and a 1,000-space car park across a 30 acre site.
The project is backed by twelve established community organisations representing over 18,000 Hindu residents (as per the 2021 census) across Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone, Hastings, and Eastbourne. The centre is designed as a faith-inclusive, wellbeing-oriented, self-sustaining, revenue-generating civic asset targeting 180,000+ annual visitors and an estimated £18-23 million annual economic contribution to Kent in year 1 and then reaching to 500,000+ visitors in 6-7 years of opening doors. The Centre will cater to an estimated population of 800,000 people in 4 borough along with National & International visitors. This aligns with the Kent County Council/Ashford Borough Council’s objective on community cohesion, mental health, cultural diversity, and economic revitalisation.
Ashford: The ideal location for our Centre
Ashford is centrally located to Dover, Maidstone, Folkstone, Hastings, and Eastbourne, making it an easily accessible hub for many communities. Furthermore, Ashford is connected to the High-Speed Rail network, making the journey from London Stratford International possible in 26-27 minutes and from St Pancras in 36-37 minutes. This excellent connectivity ensures that visitors from London and surrounding areas will find it very convenient to access this state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence.
"The Sanatan SEVA Charitable Trust is building a landmark project that will bring immense benefit to the community, fostering unity and wellbeing for generations to come."
Dr Matta Venkataramanaiah Setty, MBBS, MBE