General secretary of Luton Sikh temple honoured with MBE after helping community through Covid-19 pandemic

Sanjeev Kumar, 45, is general secretary of the Shri Guru Ravidass Sangat gurudwara and has been at the forefront of efforts to help those hardest hit by coronavirus.

In a statement, the temple said the honour made Mr Kumar the youngest ever recipient from a Ravidassia Sikh background.

They stated: "Despite his young age, Sanjeev has bought several new community projects to the gurudwara in Luton. One such example is the 'Cooking in Harmony Project' which enabled the wider community to learn the richness of authentic Indian cooking techniques, based on the dishes and technique used in langar.

"New communities learnt key values of the faith whilst preparing meals.

"During the height of the pandemic he was pivotal in supporting the most disadvantaged and underprivileged across Luton."

Mr Kumar organised an online fundraiser to reach a target of £1000, but the community raised in excess of £10,000.

This has allowed the Ravidassia community to provide support for key workers and those hit hardest by the virus. 

The temple spokesman added: "Focusing on the principles of seva (selfless service) the community recruited and continuously motivated a ‘pool’ of dedicated volunteers.

"Shri Guru Ravidass Sangat provided in excess of 6,000 meals to organisations including other faith centres and diverse communities across Luton - including Hope Church, Salvation Army, YMCA and Noah Enterprise, the Police, Fire Service and Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

"Additionally, the fund enabled the purchase of over 6,000 items of snacks, drinks, fruit, personal hygiene products and PPE equipment for frontline staff."

Mr Kumar's voluntary work has not been limited to Luton.

In Bedford, he is a trustee of Enterprising Youth Education and has been instrumental in supporting young people from the most disadvantaged communities.

He is also chair of trustees of North Hertfordshire Minority Ethnic Forum. Under his leadership, the forum was able to help 1,672 people in 2019 - making it the largest BAME organisation in Hertfordshire