A COMMUNITY worker and the founder of a children’s centre, both from Ealing, are named in the New Year Honours.

Param Singh is made an MBE after 17 years of working to develop inter-faith relations between Sikhs and non-Sikhs in modern Britain. 

In 2010, he founded City Sikhs with a group of friends as a national network of progressive Sikhs. It now has 7,000 members and provides a voice for British Sikhs wanting to create positive change in society.

His community work has been completely voluntary and includes working with charities, city corporations, faith and inter-faith groups as well as Government departments.

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He said: “I've been influenced by trailblazers within my own family, including my grandfather, Prof Sunder Singh Bhatia, the first Sikh to graduate from the University of Sheffield almost 90 years ago. He went on to establish one of the oldest engineering colleges in India.

“It has been my grandfather's legacy that inspired me to study engineering at university and to work hard and do my best at whatever I do, and I want to dedicate this to his memory.”

ALSO made MBE is Victoria Rodney, of Park Royal, for voluntary service to the community in Battersea. For more than 10 years, she has created education and employment opportunities for the vulnerable and disadvantaged in that part of South London.