Queen Elizabeth II: Swindon's faith groups honour 'selfless' monarch

Siddharth Patel is the chairman of the Hindu Samaj Swindon

People of all faiths have been paying their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The Hindu Samaj Swindon has opened its doors to anyone who wants to pray for Her Majesty.

Chairman Siddharth Patel, who came to the UK in 1972 as a Ugandan refugee, said: "Everybody is coming together."

Meanwhile, Ishak Mogul of the Swindon Muslim Council hailed the Queen as "an angel", saying for some people "it's like losing a mother figure".

At the Hindu Samaj Swindon, Mr Patel said: "It's very important for people of different faiths to remember the Queen - everybody is coming together.

"On Sundays between 12:00 BST and 14:00 BST we usually have a service, but after hearing the sad news, we extended it by two hours and dedicated the whole service to Her Majesty.

The Hindu Samaj Swindon has dedicated a space to the Queen

"The Queen has put in a huge amount of selfless giving, and in Hinduism that is exactly what we believe in."

Dinesh Patel, 69, a volunteer at the Swindon Hindu centre, said the Queen's death came as "a huge shock".

"After a couple of days of mourning, we realised this is a celebration of her life, she achieved a lot and represented something very unique," he said.

Dinesh Patel said the Queen "projected a sincere image"

"We are all children of the Commonwealth, I have been in this country for 57 years, this is home."

Aparna Pednekar, 51, another volunteer, said: "She's been so selfless, we've all been praying for her, thanking her for what she's done for our country.

"It's very important for all the faiths to come together - we all pray for her in different ways."

Ms Pednekar (left) acknowledged the Queen's "selfless" contribution

At the Swindon Mosque, Mr Mogul, chair of the Swindon Muslim Council that represents six different organisations in Swindon, said: "The Queen was an angel.

"For some it's like losing a mother figure, especially for my wife. That's the kind of sentiment across the community."

He also praised King Charles III's "warm and inclusive" statement following the death of his mother, where the new King said he would endeavour to serve with "loyalty, respect and love, whatever may be your background or faith".

Mr Mogul said Muslims were experiencing "a lot of grief" over Her Majesty's death