Faith Features

Actor Nish Nathwani works in diversity outreach and sports for BBC Three Counties Radio. Here he tells us why Wardown Park is special for him.

"My most spiritual place, besides being a temple, for any Hindu, whether it’s the one in my house that I pray at every morning or the Temple that I go to, has to be God’s given natural beauty. 

"Two things come to mind here.  First is, I find that if I’m by any ocean, and I’m looking out, I think, there’s no way this could be scientific; it’s God’s creation.  I feel so close to God for giving us this.

Ducks enjoy some peace at Wardown Park

"The other place would be any sort of park area, trees, grass and so on.  A specific place would be Wardown Park in Luton, and there’s a specific tree right near where the ducks are, where the river is, where you could go boating, just before that fence that separates the water, there’s a tree there, and to the right of the tree there’s wind chimes, kids can play on them – [it] means so much to me, because that’s the tree that my mother, a friend of hers and I went right very shortly before my mother passed away.

"We went there one sunny Sunday afternoon and we sat there and were eating an ice cream.  I remember that it’s the last time I saw my mother in just complete peace. 

"And so, at least once a year I will go there on the anniversary of both my parents' deaths and feed the ducks and at times I’ll stand under the tree and I’ll talk to her and I’ll contemplate.  It really does fill me with emotion, it’s where I feel closest to her.

"It’s the best place I feel I can communicate to my mum.  I can anyway I feel, but closest to communicate to her and if I can communicate then I know for a fact that God is there and God is listening, because I believe they’re above, so the whole thing comes in one go!"