“ If you love London like I do, please vote for me,” Khan said in a Tweet. “If you want to rebuild our city so that it’s even better than before the pandemic. If you want a brighter future for London. If you love London – vote for it”
Sitting Mayor Sadiq Khan took the substantial lead over other candidates including Conservative’s Shaun Bailey in the mayoral elections on May 6. His campaign pegging on building a new London is gathering momentum.
London mayor Sadiq Khan and deputy mayor for business, Rajesh Agrawal at Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kingsbury. (Photo: Mayor of London)
“ If you love London like I do, please vote for me,” Khan said in a Tweet. “If you want to rebuild our city so that it’s even better than before the pandemic. If you want a brighter future for London. If you love London – vote for it.”
He is also pledging to bring back Olympics to London within 20 years if he is re-elected as mayor.
“Exploring a bid for the 2036 or 2040 Olympic and Paralympic Games is the ultimate demonstration of my plan to build a brighter future for London after the pandemic,” he said at an amateur boxing club in Earlsfield, south-west London.
The move, which has been backed by a leading business group and former Olympic medallists, aims to rekindle memories of the successful 2012 Games, an event that significantly boosted the profile of Khan’s predecessor Boris Johnson.
“By ensuring the Games are staged across the UK and visitors encouraged and supported to explore every corner of our country, London 2036 or 2040 could be a huge boost to levelling up our cities and regions,” he added. “The spirit of 2012 showed London and Londoners at their best. It was a time that displayed the inclusive, diverse and welcoming heart of our city. As we emerge from Covid-19, we need to harbour this spirit and remind people what makes London the greatest city in the world. Bringing the Olympics back to London would do exactly that.”
Sadiq also said that he did his best during his tenure as mayor.
“Every single day for the last five years, I’ve woken up with the same excitement and passion about being Mayor of London as I had on day one,” Khan said. “Being the Mayor of the city in which I was born, where my parents moved to make a better life for our family, where I studied, raised a family, made a home and led a business, is the greatest privilege of my life. I love London.”
Mayor Sadiq Khan during a visit at the new vaccine hub at Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kingsbury. (Photo: Mayor of London)
Sadiq Khan’s manifesto commitments include:
@ Help the more than 300,000 Londoners who lost their jobs during the pandemic to get back to work
@ Invest £50m as part of a “green new deal” to support more than 170,000 green jobs
@ Keep the London Recovery Board, which was set up to help the capital bounce back from the pandemic
@ Invest £5m to attract Londoners and tourists back to the West End
@ Set up a “good work fund”, which will spend £32m on four skills academies
“This my manifesto for London,” said Khan. “It’s a manifesto for our time, it sets out how we can rise to the occasion and meet the enormity of the challenges our city faces. This manifesto is about tackling the inequalities that still scar London, and it’s about putting forward a bold, positive vision to renew, rebuild and refresh London. I’m confident that with the right approach, and with the right choices, we can put the dark days of the pandemic behind us, and deliver a brighter future for all Londoners.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson supports Shaun Bailey campaign
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has joined Shaun Bailey during his tour of London to back Shaun’s plan for London. Boris joined Shaun Bailey at Romford market and wholeheartedly endorsed Shaun’s plan to kickstart London’s recovery from the pandemic. Shaun Bailey is on a tour to see all 32 of London’s boroughs in just 32 hours, to show how his plan will bring London stronger than ever out of the pandemic … A special report
The show is nearing its end. As Mayor Sadiq Khan leading with 20 points against his nearest rival, the most popular Tory in the country came to the rescue. Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined Tory candidate Shaun Bailey’s campaign.
Shaun Bailey (From Wikipedia)
Mr Bailey and Johnson have criticised Sadiq Khan’s 5 years of failure as mayor of London. During this time Sadiq Khan has focused on virtue-signalling rather than working with the government and now is hiking taxes on Londoners to pay for his financial mismanagement.
Bailey’s journey across London demonstrated how his plan for a fresh start will change Londoners’ lives.
“The pandemic has caused more job losses in London than any other region of the UK. So to build back better, we need a mayor who works with the government to secure investment,” the Tory candidate said. “ That’s why we can’t afford three more years of a mayor who attacks ministers from the sidelines while planning to introduce four new taxes — a £4.68 billion tax grab that will hit every Londoner.
“As mayor, I’ll deliver the fresh start London needs. And I’ll deliver it by working with the Prime Minister to kickstart our recovery and build a safer, fairer, more affordable city. So on 6 May, Londoners should vote for the candidate who will work with the government to secure a better deal for London.”
The prime minister supports Shaun’s claims.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, our task is to build back better. And Shaun Bailey has the experience, skills and determination to do this for London,” the former mayor said. “That’s why I’m backing Shaun to be the next Mayor of London. He has a plan to cut crime, fix London’s transport network, get people on the housing ladder, and lower the cost of living.
Shaun talking to Police during his campaign
“I ask Londoners to join me in voting for Shaun Bailey on 6 May. And I look forward to working with him as he delivers the fresh start London needs.”
During the meetings, Bailey’s revealed his crime strategy. He promised to tackle rising knife crime with a visible and immediate police response.
Within 100 days, Mr Bailey will have begun hiring 8,000 new police officers and made the decisions necessary for the 38 police front counters to begin opening across London.
Shaun will also direct the Met Police Commissioner to implement Operation Blunt Three within 100 days of becoming mayor. This operation will be a highly visible police surge throughout the summer, to crack down on the violence on London’s streets. This will be complemented by rolling out Stop and Search and Scan and Search policies across London within 100 days. Using targeted Stop and Search at crime hotspots, and non-invasive Scan and Search in public places, Shaun Bailey will turn up the pressure on criminals and get weapons off the streets to take the pressure off London’s communities.
As well as being tough on crime, Shaun Bailey will tackle the root causes of crime. As a former youth worker of 20 years, Shaun knows the value of youth work, and the tangible impact that meaningful interventions can have in vulnerable young people’s lives. In the first 100 days of his mayoralty, he will identify the 32 sites for new youth centres, and begin the process of hiring 4,000 new youth workers.
The first 100 days will also see the creation of Shaun’s Second Chances Fund. This City Hall fund will provide training and skills to ex-offenders and help them turn their lives around.
Shaun will also create the Mayor’s office for community policing. This office will be in charge of facilitating a return to community policing strategies and driving recruitment of ethnic minority police officers, so the met police can look like the people it protects.
Bailey also promised to tackle violence against women and girls and finally give this issue the urgency it demands. Shaun will commence the rollout of CCTV on the Tube and bus stations on day one.
On Shaun’s first day in office, he will also make the Rail to Refuge scheme a permanent fixture of TfL.
Rail to Refuge gives women fleeing domestic violence, free travel. This vital scheme protects women who are suffering abuse and gives them a way out to a refuge. This successful scheme has been appointed as a temporary measure. Shaun Bailey will take action to make this scheme permanent and give vulnerable women security.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson supports Shaun Bailey campaign
Commenting on the appointment, Lord Rami Ranger said: “My appointment to the role of the chairman follows a career dedicated to public service and intend to continuing with SPMS UK. I look forward to working with the Executive Council, who I know are committed to providing a modern and first-rate service to all. It’s vital that we continue to propagate the life of Sardar Patel in the Spirit of Unity.”
Another honour for Lord Rami Ranger. The Sardar Patel Memorial Society UK appoints Lord Rami Ranger to lead the organisation. The decision was taken unanimously at the Annual General Meeting.
Lord Rami Ranger CBE
The New Executive Council members are:
Chairman – Lord Rami Ranger CBE, Vice-Chairman – Pravin G Patel, Secretary General – Krishna Pujara, Treasurer – Deepak Patel
Trustees: C B Patel, Jitubhai Patel & Sumantrai Desai
Committee Members: G P Desai & Jayant Patel.
Hon. Chief Executive – Kanti Nagda MBE
Commenting on the appointment, Lord Rami Ranger said: “My appointment to the role of the chairman follows a career dedicated to public service and intend to continuing with SPMS UK. I look forward to working with the Executive Council, who I know are committed to providing a modern and first-rate service to all. It’s vital that we continue to propagate the life of Sardar Patel in the Spirit of Unity.”
It is the Sardar Patel Memorial Society (SPMS)UK’s aim to bring awareness on the life and work of the great leader, not only to our children, but to the wider communities.
Further information call: Krishna Pujara on 07931 708028 or email spmsmembers@gmail.com
People wearing face masks walk along the River Thames in London, Britain, on Jan. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
Britain is likely to see a “summer surge” in coronavirus cases as many adults were still not vaccinated against the disease, a British government advisory scientist said
Professor Adam Finn, of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert advisory committee that advises health departments on immunisation, said modelling shows coronavirus cases will rise in the summer as lockdown is relaxed.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
“The models that we’ve seen on JCVI clearly point to a summer surge in cases as the lockdown is relaxed, because there are still many people in the adult population who’ve not been immunized,” he told the BBC.
Finn, from the University of Bristol, said the UK is still “vulnerable” and the dates for easing restrictions may need adjusting.
“Quite a wide range of uncertainty” remains over how big the wave would be “because it depends on how quickly the vaccine rollout continues”, he said.
It also depends on whether people will stick to the rules as lockdown is eased, he said.
“If people move too far forward with that too fast, we’ll see things start to come up earlier,” Finn said.
“The sense that the problem is all over, I’m afraid is a flawed one, we’re still in a vulnerable situation, and there are still significant numbers of people who potentially could be harmed by this infection if this happens.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that as the UK continues to make progress in the fight against coronavirus, “we cannot delude ourselves” that the virus has gone away.
A pedestrian walks by a pub, The Hope, shuttered in London due to coronavirus regulations. Thousands of British pubs have not survived the pandemic, according to an industry association, and the ones that have will need financial support “for years if they are to recover.” Photo: Yui Mok/PA
He noted that the majority of scientific experts are of the view that there will be another wave at some stage this year and Britons must learn to live with the virus.
However, he said there was nothing in scientific data to suggest the UK would have to deviate from the roadmap out of lockdown.
The UK has so far reported 4,411,068 confirmed coronavirus cases and 127,577 deaths.
More than 33 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.
Experts have warned that despite progress in vaccine rollout, the UK is “still not out of the woods” amid concerns over new variants, particularly those first emerged in South Africa, Brazil and India, and the third wave of pandemic on the European continent.
FnB columnist Riccha Grrover in conversation with Chef Saransh Goila to know more about his GOILA BUTTER CHICKEN in London and launching meal-kits & a nationwide delivery system in the UK
One of India’s most widely respected chefs, Saransh Goila has developed a cult-like following for his eponymous butter chicken recipe globally. Having garnered a legion of high profile followers after the opening of his restaurant Goila Butter Chicken in Mumbai in 2016, Saransh was flown to be a guest judge on Masterchef Australia in 2018 where he judged contestants’ iterations of his signature dish. In 2019 his Goila Butter Chicken won the ‘people’s choice’ prize at India’s famed food festival, World on a Plate (WOAP); and in February 2020 Saransh teamed up with the Templeton brothers for a sell-out fortnight-long residency at Carousel (Marylebone), before setting up a London-wide hot meal delivery service in November last year. He has been in the Forbes 2019 Celebrity 100 list and amongst Facebook’s 100 Future Tycoons of India.
Saransh Brings ‘Goila Butter Chicken’ To London
RICCHA GRROVER- Tell us about your journey as a professional chef, across kitchens and FnB set ups from India to London. Did you always plan to be a chef or did you dabble into the profession as an extension of a hobby?
SARANSH GOILA- I grew up in Pitampura near Delhi. From a very young age, I had an inclination towards cooking. By the age of twelve, I started experimenting and cooking in the kitchen with my mom and granddad. Soon, I started cooking for my uncles and aunts and neighbours and my grandpa wanted me to pursue a career in cooking looking at my aptitude and interest. I believed in his vision of converting my hobby into profession and someday being a chef like ‘Sanjeev Kapoor’ and decided to pursue culinary arts from Institute of Hotel Management- Aurangabad, India.
After completing my professional studies and work at the Leela Hotels in Bengaluru for a couple of years I wanted to try something different. I wanted to be on television in order to teach people more about India Cuisine. After many failed attempts, I secured a spot as a contestant on Bollywood celebrity Madhuri Dixit’s comeback show, Food Food Maha Challenge, which was being hosted by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. I went on to win the show and that got me what I wanted a food travelogue that made me travel 100 days of India by road is search of lost regional recipes and street food artistes. It was called Roti Rasta Aur India (which meant – Bread, Roads and India).
After the show, I found my space in the FnB industry in Mumbai (the city of dreams!). I came up with my version of butter chicken by a happy accident. I wanted to make a dish that tastes exactly like butter chicken but without the chicken as I wanted my vegetarian parents to be able to taste it. For that made few tweaks to the classic recipe and balanced it out in a way that the base gravy would have all the tasting notes of butter chicken enhanced and well balanced. When my friends in Mumbai first ate it when I moved to Mumbai, they loved it so much that they started a Twitter hashtag, #GoilaButterChicken.
This soon became my signature dish, which I started serving through my outlets and pop-ups in 2016 and it was later also seen on the epic TV show, MasterChef Australia in 2018. It was after this show we got a lot of international acclaim which led us to do a pop in London at Carousel. Post which we built a great relationship with the Templeton bros (founders of Carousel) and that took Goila from Mumbai to London.
RG- How is your butter chicken brand different from all the other Indian restaurants in London in terms of what unique food experience you offer?
SG-The secret to my recipe is the tomato to dairy ratio (80:20 as opposed to the usual 60:40), the all-important infusion of smoke and insistence that only the absolute best ingredients make it into the pot.
It all begins with fantastic tasting, ethical ingredients. That means truly free range, slow-grown, herb-fed chickens from Yorkshire, the creamiest French butter and eco-friendly charcoal from FSC-certified forests.
With less butter than the classic recipe calls for and absolutely no colouring, sugar or fluorescent orange additive, Goila Butter Chicken is made fresh each day by chefs who take pride in turning curry into an art form.
RG- Where does your menu take its inspiration from?
SG- Inspiration for this menu comes straight from my home kitchen in Delhi. It’s what my mom and dad find comforting and they’d eat for dinner almost every weekend. Sometimes less is more. There are six elements to the quintessential Goila meal experience: Butter Chicken, Dal Makhani, Jeera Rice, Sourdough Naan, Pickled Shallots and Coriander Chutney. I do believe… too much choice is overrated.
RG-Tell us about some of your highs and lows in the journey as a chef. What keeps you motivated and what’s been your mantra of success? What advice would you give budding chefs?
SG-Before I set out on my entrepreneurial sojourn, I was working as a chef at The Leela Hotel – Bangalore. I felt like a misfit although I had a stable and a well-paying job. The decision to quit that path for a road of uncertainties where the stakes were high, lack of staunch financial support and inadequate operational experience to run a business has been the most difficult yet rewarding decision of my life.
To have been able to make a self-funded homegrown brand in Mumbai to Masterchef Australia and then opening an outpost in London is a definite high which keeps us motivated to keep innovating and pushing the boundaries further to grow the brand and make Goila Butter Chicken a global brand. What keeps me motivated is to keep promoting Indian cuisine across the globe, our cuisine is so diverse and full flavours and we need to make sure that the world knows about it!
My basic quote for all the young chefs out there – Be true to yourself! Do not replicate a recipe fully. Add your personal touch to it and make it unique to yourself. Your own rendition of the dish will make it a memorable one. For all you know, you may just be able to do more justice to it than the original creator of the recipe! Cooking is an amalgamation of science and art – so experiment and express your inner-self through your food, don’t forget to infuse love into it!
RG- What is your vision for your food brand in the UK- do you have plans of expansion?
Saransh Brings ‘Goila Butter Chicken’ To London
SG-We envision Goila Butter Chicken to be available all across the UK at your doorstep in the next future. Meanwhile our meal kits are already doing that! We plan to expand our cloud kitchens all across UK and will also be indulging in some pop-up stores that will reflect more diversity and innovation in the menu. We really want Goila to be the first choice for people in the UK, whenever they think of curry!
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Chef Saransh Goila’s world-renowned butter chicken is now available to diners nationwide in the UK, for the first time ever, through the launch of Goila Butter Chicken meal kits. Along with the butter chicken, the feasting meal-kit box is complete with Dal makhani – developed by Saransh to be the perfect accompaniment – as well as Sourdough naan fired in a pizza oven, crunchy and tangy Pickled shallots, Coriander chutney and Jeera rice. Vegetarians can replace the chicken with paneer.
After seeing a video of people queuing for food, Wanis International, one of the UK’s leading imports and Distributors of World Food and Drink, wanted to support the effort of feeding those in need. They are supporting London Community Kitchen at Harrow and NHS’s Heart-To-Heart and organ donation campaign … reports Asian Lite News
Tropical Sun is shining a ray of hope for the community. The brand, along with its parent company Wanis International Foods, is doing its part to give back to the community. They have taken initiatives that will help make lives better for those in need by supporting London Community Kitchen (LCK) and the NHS.
Wanis International supports community initiatives
After seeing a video of people queuing for food, Wanis International wanted to support the effort of feeding those in need. It did so by shining a ray of Tropical Sun at the Brent Indian Association event on Ealing Road. The brand donated large quantities of food including basmati rice, curry powder, coconut milk powder, lentils, chickpeas, tea and much more to help those in need gain access to nutritious meals.
The London Community Kitchen based in Harrow provides food for over 5000 people on a weekly basis through markets and food parcels, and The Brent Indian Association benevolently allows LCK to run its food market every Saturday on its premises.
At the Brent Indian Association, Wanis International Foods was greeted by Hitenbhai, the Chair of Brent Indian Association, Cllr Ernest Ezeajughi, Mayor of Brent, Councillor Butt, the Leader of Council, and Satesh Melwani, who is the Business Development Manager at Wanis International Foods, along with Manish Tiwari, Managing Director of Here and Now 365, and Sanjay Mehta, Wembley Lion and BIA Committee Member, who all helped organise the successful event.
“Wanis International Foods, spanning 57 years in business, is one of the UK’s leading imports and Distributors of World Food and Drink. We are proud to be supporting the London Community Kitchen in support of the community.”States, Satesh Melwani, Business Development Manager at Wanis International Foods.
To continue the good work, Tropical Sun has also teamed up with the NHS for the Heart-to-Heart campaign which officially launched on the 23rd of March to encourage life-saving conversations around blood and organ donation. The campaign aims to reach people in the kitchen, the heart of the home.
Wanis International supports community initiatives
Tropical Sun has given the NHS valuable space on their Rice and Jackfruit packs. In addition to this, they are also running a video campaign featuring popular influencers like fitness guru, Mr. Motivator and Nina Wadia, a popular actress who stars in EastEnders and Goodness Gracious Me. The Heart-to-Heart campaign aims to encourage the spirit of benevolence in the community and support the NHS.
It is up to all of us to do our part to help out, so join and support the NHS. For those who would like to help out, you can sign up to donate blood at Blood.co.uk and join the organ donation registry at OrganDonation.NHS.UK.
High Impact Accelerator Programme for ethnic minority professionals launched to address the diversity gap in the UK institutions … reports Asian Lite News
Transformative, high-impact accelerator programme designed to help experienced ethnic minority professionals push to the next level in their careers, is being launched by Career Masterclass, leading professional development platform working towards democratisation of opportunities. It’s part of its B2B offerings to companies encouraging them to invest in the development of their BAME workforce. Career Masterclass, which has grown rapidly with its strong online presence, has 12,000 members in 15 countries including India.
Career Masterclass founder Bukola Adisa
The programme will help address the issue of lack of minority and female representation in senior positions within UK organisations.
According to the Parker Review, more than a fifth of the UK’s leading companies still have no ethnic diversity across their boards. Only five ethnic minority directors occupy a CEO position, down from six last year, and all of whom are men. Moreover, Company Matters found that 84% of AIM and 78% of SMC 100 (FTSE Small Cap 100) companies have all white boards, over double the proportion seen in the FTSE 100.
In fact, McKinsey’s Delivery Through Diversity report revealed that in the UK, 22% of university students identify as Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME), yet only 8% of UK executives in the study’s sample share this identity. However, companies with the most ethnically/culturally diverse boards worldwide are 43% more likely to experience higher profits.
The high-impact accelerator programme aims to address this gap. It will equip early to mid-level career professionals with skills to build successful careers including leadership, building successful networks, confidence building, resilience, etc. Packed with real life case studies, practical knowledge and tools and offered by industry professionals, it aims to drive transformative change by providing Asian professionals with insight and resources needed to advance in their careers, while also encouraging UK firms to create more inclusive environments.
“Diversity is essential for running a healthy business,” said Career Masterclass founder Bukola Adisa. “To address this we need companies to invest in the development of their mid-level Asian employees to assist them in accessing senior level positions and, ultimately, enter the board rooms.”
Bukola who has led large teams in leading financial organisations in the UK remembers, “When I was at the top of my game, leading 100+ employees in a blue chip firm, I witnessed how rare it was to see Black and minority people in the boardrooms and in leadership positions. To address this disparity, I started hosting career development sessions in my free time to help Black, Asian and minority professionals, by arming them with necessary tools to succeed in their career.”
“I joined Career Masterclass when I was feeling stagnant in my career, “ says Nimisha Bhakta, Compliance Manager, HSBC. “Career Masterclass has taught me to take the reins of my career and break down the old thought patterns like ‘your hard work will be noticed’’. I have now got a mentor with my firm, I am ensuring my manager is aware of my achievements and I feel extremely motivated. The culmination of all this has resulted in a newfound confidence, dynamism and has resulted in me getting a new role within my firm with management responsibilities,”
Nimisha Bhakta, Compliance Manager, HSBC
What started as a campaign in her free time to help a few chart their path into boardrooms by offering advice and training – has become a core business today with Career Masterclass boasting 12,000 members in 15 countries including India.
The programme delivered by highly skilled industry leaders and professionals, who are familiar with the challenges faced by ethnic minorities, applies a blended learning approach, incorporating Masterclasses, drop-in Q and A sessions, mini-challenges and activities, group sessions as well as one to one mentoring sessions with industry leaders.
It will be supported by access to the Career Masterclass digital learning platform, which has been designed to leverage personalisation via its proprietary technology to ensure that the solution is tailor-made for each participant’s individual career needs and requirements. It offers a unique solution to reinforce learning and provide ongoing support for participants at all times.
Adisa said, “The challenges facing Asian and Black professionals in the workplace are well documented and we provide tips and concepts to help overcome roadblocks and barriers to enable professional growth for participants.”
Wayne Couzens, 48, was arrested on Tuesday after Sarah Everard, a marketing executive, went missing while walking home from a friend’s apartment in south London on March 3…reports Asian Lite News
A serving Metropolitan Police officer appeared in court in London after being charged with the kidnap and murder of a 33-year-old woman.
Wayne Couzens, 48, was arrested on Tuesday after Sarah Everard, a marketing executive, went missing while walking home from a friend’s apartment in south London on March 3, reports Xinhua news agency.
Everard’s remains were found on Wednesday in an area of woodland in Kent, about 80 km away in southeast England, the court heard on Saturday.
Couzens arrived at the central London court at 10 a.m. in a large blue police van, stepping into the dock around 10.30 a.m., according to the Evening Standard newspaper.
He wore a grey tracksuit and appeared to have a red wound on the top of his forehead, the newspaper reported.
Couzens spoke only to confirm his name and personal details, sitting between two plain clothes officers in the dock.
He remains in police custody and will appear in court again on March 16.
According to local media reports, Couzens joined London’s Metropolitan Police in 2018 and guarded foreign embassies before his arrest.
Everard’s death has caused widespread concern in the UK about women’s safety, with many women and girls sharing stories online of their own traumatic experiences.
Data from the Uk’s Office for National Statistics showed that in the past decade till March 2020, there were 4,493 male victims and 2,075 female victims (31 per cent) in England and Wales, and more than nine out of 10 killers were men.
DR OPINDERJIT KAUR TAKHAR MBE: “Awareness of organ donation is much needed in the Sikh community. Being based in Wolverhampton, which has the 2nd largest Sikh community outside of London, gives us the ideal location through which to make a real impact through the opportunity to engage with the Sikh community … A special report by Asian Lite International
The University of Wolverhampton has secured almost £10,000 funding to create awareness of organ donation in the Sikh community.
The University’s Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies and the School of Art academic researchers, with the guidance of NHS Clinical Teams and Sikh Donor/ Recipient families, will commission artwork/digital media work that promotes Donation and Law Change whilst at the same time debunking ‘myths’. Two to three quality art projects, for example, filmmakers, animators, will be produced following a national competitive call.
The funding has been awarded by the NHS Blood and Transplant’s Community Investment Scheme which is committed to building support for donation amongst Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic communities.
The scheme funds community and faith/beliefs organisations to drive awareness, understanding and behaviour change. Now in its third round, the scheme has broadened its scope to cover a range of health inequalities including organ and blood donation.
For many patients in need of a transplant the best match will come from a donor from the same ethnic background. In the UK there are currently estimated to be at least 2,569 people on the waiting list for a kidney transplant and 580 of those are from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds. Kidney donors and recipients are matched by blood group and tissue type, and people from the same ethnic background are more likely to have matching blood groups and tissue types.
Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients often have to wait significantly longer for a successful match than white patients, due to a shortage of suitably matched donors.
Dr Opinderjit Kaur Takhar MBE, Director of the University’s Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies, said: “The Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies – the only Centre of its kind in the UK, based at the University of Wolverhampton – has excellent connections with the Sikh community both regionally as well as nationally.
“Awareness of organ donation is much needed in the Sikh community. Being based in Wolverhampton, which has the 2nd largest Sikh community outside of London, gives us the ideal location through which to make a real impact through the opportunity to engage with the Sikh community.
“Having the expertise in understanding Sikh teachings, beliefs and ethics, we will use these to highlight how the Sikh faith supports organ donation in an effort to overcome incorrect notions of organ donation being contradictory to Sikh beliefs.”
Altaf Kazi, Head of Faith and Belief Engagement at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Through the Community Investment Scheme we have seen first-hand the abilities of trusted individuals and community groups to prompt conversation, tackle misinformation, educate and offer reassurance around organ donation and now blood donation. Often a person’s best donor match will share their ethnicity, but too many donation opportunities are missed because families haven’t discussed organ donation.
“We are asking more people from Black and Asian communities to find out about both blood and organ donation and help us to address the inequalities that many members of these communities may face. By giving your support you can help save lives.”
Maggie Ayliffe, Head of the Wolverhampton School of Art, said: “We are delighted to be recipients of NHS Blood & Transplant, Community Investment Scheme funding. We are an organisation which is deeply embedded in the local area and we have strong grassroot links to the community which we hope to engage throughout this project.
“This will be an important community-based art project. Our students and staff have worked on a number of projects that aim to raise awareness of organ donation in the past and we are very much looking forward to working with the Sikh community in Wolverhampton and creating some new artwork that will start conversations and create interest around the social benefits/gift of organ donation.”
Since its launch in 2018, the Community Investment Scheme has supported 43 organisations to deliver 50 community-led projects. With around 4,000 people engaging in conversation or taking away a leaflet or information on the importance of organ donation and 8,000 attended a talk or workshop.
For more information about the Community Investment Scheme please visit https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/cis/ or contact: community.funding@nhsbt.nhs.uk
The Community Investment Scheme is part of a Government-funded campaign led by NHS Blood and Transplant with support from the National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA) to address the urgent need for Black, Asian and minority ethnic donors.
FIVE RIVERS – The world’s first Indian white spiced rum debuts in the UK … reports Asian Lite News
Five Rivers, from the Sanghera Rum Company, is making its debut in the UK. The world’s first Indian white spiced rum is the perfect new addition to the statement drinks trolley, with a beautiful, distinctive bottle, unlike any other.
Taj Sanghera, Founder, Five Rivers
The tipple is best enjoyed in a new and unexpected way for a rum – over ice in a tall glass with tonic, lime and star anise.
“Rum has soared in popularity over the last year, but its long-standing Indian heritage and methods of production – which are recorded as early as the 7th century – aren’t widely known,” said Taj Sanghera, Founder. “India is the largest sugar producing country in the world, and we’re proud to bring the world’s first Indian white spiced rum to the UK.”
Five Rivers mixes equally well in creative cocktails; innovative signature serves include the Sanghera Sour, Mai Chai and the Punjabi Punch.
The unique liquid is flavoured with a blend of Indian spices: cardamom, cassia, cloves, coriander and ginger, and re-distilled to extract the best flavours. With no added flavourings or sugar, a strong personal heritage and a contemporary bottle, it’s a premium choice for discerning drinkers.
On the nose, it has a rich stewed fruit and candied citrus spiciness. The initial taste is sweet clove and cinnamon, which then leads to a clean, dry and aromatic cardamom spice, with a long and warming peppery finish coming from the ginger.
Refined from five generations of family rum production near Jalandhar in Northern Punjab and made with sugarcane traditionally grown on the Sanghera family’s farm, Five Rivers brings the flavours of India to life. Wanting to elevate the quality of rum, the Sanghera family created Five Rivers for the western palate, in a similar way to gin but with unmistakable Indian flavours.
Five Rivers Rum
Punjab translates as ‘The Land of Five Rivers’ in English, honouring the five rivers that flow from the Himalayas, nourishing the surrounding fields of sugarcane and spice, giving the spirit its name.
