A holy man flew out from India to lay the foundation stone for a new community centre in Southall on Sunday, drawing hundreds of worshippers from all over the country.

The Rt Honourable Sant Niranjan Dass laid the stone for the two-storey Ravidassia community hall next to the Ravidassia temple in Western Road.

Hundreds of onlookers joined in the ceremony, which involved touching the five foundation stones, which once laid, cannot be removed from the earth.

Building of the hall, which was given plannning approval in April 1998, is expected to start next week and be completed by the end of January. Planned activities at the centre will include sport for children, music classes and Punjabi teaching for the Ravidassia community from across the borough and Hayes ,, an estimated 10,000 people.

'The prayer hall in the temple is no longer big enough and the people have wanted this for a long time,' said Shiv Rattu, an executive committee member for the community, who helped to pioneer the development.

He added the cost of the hall, which is between £4-500,000, had been raised with donations from the community and £140,000 was raised from people attending the ceremony yesterday. The revised design for the centre is expected to be approved by the planning west committee next Thursday.