The leadership of the Nishkam Group had a vision, a dream, a passion to make health more equitable in a deprived inner-city area of Birmingham.  So, 10 years ago the Nishkam Healthcare Trust (NHT), based on Soho Road, Birmingham was launched. The NHT’s proposition is unique – it was not vying to compete with the NHS, but to compassionately complement it and enable services to be more accessible to so many disenfranchised residents who feel out of touch. In line with its values, to mark the momentous occasion of being ONE DECADE old, celebrations will be held on Wednesday 18^th January for all, which will include free health checks and the opportunity to speak to dentists, GPs and pharmacists and integrative counsellors about healthy living, and an array of refreshments.

Since its launch in 2013, Nishkam Healthcare Trust has made great strides by innovatively improving the health and wellbeing of its local population in Handsworth, which is in top 1.6% most deprived neighbourhoods in the country. The NHT, which forms part of the Nishkam Group of Organisations, was launched with the ethos of faith-inspired, values-led care embedded in clinical practice, and houses a dental service, pharmacy and mental and emotional wellbeing service for the local community, in order to deliver holistic person-centred care.

Collaboration is key to achieving better equality and making sure no one is left out. Nishkam Healthcare Trust have spent the last decade partnering with national and local healthcare organisations and charities to ensure joined-up thinking. An example of this is the partnership with Modality & Peoples Health Partnership on an innovative project to reduce cardiovascular risk as well to address other social determinants of health. A Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Service offering blood pressure checks and blood glucose testing takes place at Nishkam Pharmacy on a daily basis, and this includes weekly group consultations run by GPs volunteering to serve the local population.

Nishkam Healthcare Trust was launched to address the communication and cultural gap between clinical practitioners and patients, and the motto underlining the services has been ‘Caring with compassion, Helping with humility and Listening with love’. This principle has proved immensely successful with a busy community pharmacy, and a pay-what-you-can-afford dental service designed to appeal to the goodness in humanity and where clinical staff work on a volunteer basis, dedicating their time and expertise to provide high quality expert dental care for our patients. Between January 2022 and June 2022, Nishkam Mental and Emotional Wellbeing Service delivered 189 free sessions of counselling to nearly 40 service users, demonstrating the unique ways in which faith-based organisations can deliver on responsibilities in their local communities.

Dr Manvir Kaur Hayer, Renal Consultant and Chair of Nishkam Healthcare Trust, said, “This is a major landmark for the Nishkam Healthcare team and I am proud to say, they are doing an amazing job. The team goes above and beyond to help improve health outcomes and assist other partners to address deep-rooted health inequalities. The model created is ambitious, innovative and, right now, very much needed. We need greater access into communities, the whole ethos of the Integrated Care System is to do what is being modelled right here in Birmingham – we are trail-blazing as always. I wish all of the Nishkam Healthcare team every success for the coming decades.” On their 10^th anniversary celebration event, Nishkam Healthcare Trust are sending an open invitation to all –  no RSVPs are required, just turn up and see what is being done. We look forward to seeing you there.

A chilled food manufacturer based in Southall has donated a van to a local charity to help with its distribution of food to those in need.

Noon Products Ltd started supporting NishkamSWAT’s community support outreach programme at the time of the Grenfell fire. Noon provided the charity with microwavable ready meals for people while they were waiting to be re-homed.

The relationship between the company and NishkamSWAT has gone from strength to strength and in early 2020, a new initiative started to serve freshly cooked hot food by the Noon chefs.

In 2020, homelessness surpassed 10,000 in London with a 47% increase of 16-to-25-year old’s due to lockdown restrictions. The disappearance of commuters meant that no one was offering money at a time when most soup kitchens were closed and food banks were struggling to keep up with the demand. It was left to a few small groups of volunteers to provide thousands of meals a week through such a difficult year.

Noon wanted to make an increased commitment to the partnership and decided to donate the co-branded chilled van to NishkamSWAT to help even further with the distribution of food. The van was formally handed over at Noon Products Ltd, Windmill Lane on 24 November. Both parties are looking forward to developing their relationship and building an even stronger community support network.

Randeep S Lall, CEO of NishkamSWAT said, ‘We are so grateful to the amazing team at Noon, they have been supporting us for many years and always step up when the homeless community is in need as well as children and families in poverty, no questions asked. During the first COVID-19 lockdown, Noon served tens of thousands of meals to NHS Staff Members and Free School Meals to children as well as the homeless and elderly. Sumit and his team go above and beyond their call of duty. We feel so fortunate to have such a prestigious company on board as a Charity Partner.’

With lockdown easing, forward-thinking charities have been positioning themselves to be more resilient, service focused, strategically connected and relevant in the post-Covid world. As we witness cuts in public spending, reductions in the grants and other funding that became available for businesses and the third sector to reach out to the most disadvantaged communities, the landscape is changing. There is now a greater need to build on existing partnerships, given that interfacing with government agencies and other supporting organisations is crucial to innovating further solutions for communities affected by the pandemic.

Birmingham based Nishkam Civic Association (NCA), also known as the Nishkam Centre, is now strategically positioning itself for the challenges ahead. It has announced the appointment of Amrick Singh Ubhi to a newly created senior executive position of Director of Nishkam Civic Engagement and Partnerships to guide the strategic development of the charity and its sister group of organisations over the challenging years ahead. An essential element of this new role will be to ensure that the spotlight placed on the humanitarian work of faith and business communities during the pandemic is supported, recognised and strengthened. The Nishkam Board is also pleased to announce the promotion of Ajit Singh to the position of Nishkam Civic Association Director. 

Bhai Sahib, Bhai Mohinder Singh, Chairman of the Nishkam Civic Association, said: “We have appointed Amrick Singh to this post in recognition of his dedication and hard work over the past fourteen years. We also thank him for overseeing the Charity’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and for his support to many mutual aid projects and initiatives across the City and beyond. He has played a pivotal leadership role in linking faith communities together with multi-agency strategic teams during these challenging times. We know that, with Ajit Singh heading the NCA, the team will position the services to meet the new challenges that the sector and its communities will be encountering over the next three post-Covid years.”

Amrick has led the NCA team since 2007 and – in the spirit of nishkamta or selflessness – has made outstanding contributions in the fields of community service, the development of interfaith relations and engagement, supporting the work of charities and cohesion-building. He has taken on many voluntary Board roles to support other organisations and to assist them where he can in building meaningful and productive partnerships. For many, Amrick’s drive to connect communities – and to strengthen and support many positive initiatives being generated locally, nationally and internationally – has been inspirational.

On his new appointment, Amrick Singh said, “I am delighted to be given an opportunity to consolidate the last fourteen years’ work with key local, regional and national civic, community and business organisations. We now need to guide the group of organisations to further develop strategic partnerships, to plan their growth in line with the highly dynamic new landscape whilst we bring to fruition the long-term strategic deliverables. I look forward with optimism to spending more time with faith, business, third sector and political leaders as we plan for an uncertain future, aiming to serve the most disadvantaged and to create a fairer, more just society.”

As Ajit Singh takes on the Nishkam Civic Association Director’s role, the team will also see a number of new posts being created to support the delivery of NCA’s exciting Strategic Plan for 2021 – 2024. Ajit has served as Operations Manager and, more recently, the Contracts Manager at the NCA for the past ten years.  He has made a significant contribution to the design, delivery and management of many services which benefit local and regional communities. “I’m thrilled to be promoted to the role of Director, leading the next phase of our development. The pandemic has enabled us to reflect and realign our priorities over the coming months and years – we see exciting and challenging times ahead.”

ENDS

For further information, a high-res photo, or to arrange an interview, please contact Prof Upkar Pardesi OBE, Vice-Chairman at Upkar.pardesi@ncauk.org or mobile: 07974150320.

Notes to Editors

1. The Nishkam Civic Association (NCA), fondly known as the Nishkam Centre, is a unique organisation charged with the task of developing a dynamic Sikh faith-inspired civic agenda. It is one of the key Centres for Excellence founded by Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, a Sikh faith-based organisation dedicated to nishkam sewa (active, selfless volunteering) to serve the common good.  It is part of the Nishkam Group that is made up of the spiritual centre (the Gurudwara), the economic cooperative – MSS (Marg Sat Santokh, meaning ‘path of truth and contentment’), the Nishkam School Trust and the Nishkam Healthcare Trust.

• Amrick Singh is a proud Brummie who gave up his corporate consultancy career 15 years ago to participate in charity work. He has devoted his career to lead in the voluntary sector and to serve the needs of voluntary and community organisations.  Amrick Singh is a well-known and respected person for civic engagement, Sikh/interfaith engagement and representation on community forums/panels.  He brings vast commercial and project management experience to make a difference to the voluntary work he undertakes. He is values-driven, a supportive yet ‘critical friend’ and a proactive partner to many. His extensive experience in supporting people in organisations to ‘uplift themselves and others’ is commendable as is his passion to see everyone excel.

• Ajit Singh, born and raised in Handsworth, Birmingham, has a long-standing affinity to the locality. He has developed a strong understanding and tacit knowledge of local communities and the challenges faced by many. His background in business and in the advice sector, along with his extensive time at NCA, have provided Ajit with the ideal platform to develop and deliver innovative and creative projects designed to be client-centred and culturally appropriate, with an emphasis on self-reliance and empowerment.  Ajit has developed an excellent understanding of grant funding, forging a track record of securing and delivering projects, producing high quality measurable outcomes and impact and bringing sustainable benefits to communities.

As the country mourns the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh and pray for the Royal Family, Birmingham Cathedral during the Choral Evensong, The Second Sunday of Easter, remembered the Duke and Royal Family. In line with lockdown regulations the ceremony was attended by a very limited invited guest list. The guests were all seated at a safe distance from each other, and face masks were obligatory. Unlike a normal service, the singing was restricted to the Choir only in compliance with restrictions on Places of Worship.    

Many leaders from across Birmingham came together to remember the Duke and participate in the service at Birmingham Cathedral.

The Very Reverend Matt Thompson, the Dean of Birmingham, welcomed the guests. He personally mentioned Right Reverend David Urquhart, The Bishop of Birmingham; Archbishop Bernard Longley; Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the County of West Midlands, John Crabtree OBE; The Lord Mayor, Mohammed Azim; High Sheriff for the West Midlands, Louise Bennett; Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh OBE KSG; Leader of the Council, Cllr Ian Ward.

Following the prayers and hymns being sung, a reading from the Old Testament (Isaiah 26.1-9, 19) was read by Canon Sharon Palmer MBE. This was later followed by a reading from the New Testament (Luke 24.1-12) by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the County of West Midlands, John Crabtree OBE.   

We know The Duke of Edinburgh, the longest-serving royal consort in British history, was at the Queen’s side for more than her six decades of reign. Prince Philip and the Queen had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on 10 June 1921 and his father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes. His mother, Princess Alice, was a daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Shortly after his passing, the following announcement was made: 

After the service all the guests made their way out of the Cathedral and exchanged brief reflections before they left.

The new High Sheriff of the West Midlands, Louise Bennett was introduced to some of the dignitaries. Bhai Sahib paid their condolences to all the dignitaries and exchanged warm reflections and greetings. The mood was sombre but there was an air of excitement at the same time as the dignitaries reflected on how nice it was to actually be in the company of each other rather than on a computer screen.

After the auspicious service the Nishkam Centre Director, Amrick Singh said he was honoured to be invited to accompany Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh to the service, “It was very moving but surreal due to the Covid-19 restrictions in force. The service was just perfect and so befitting for Birmingham’s faith, civic, business and academic leaders to remember the Duke and the Royal Family; it was also strange that so few people had come together in such a grandiose venue. I remember events at the Cathedral where it was full to the rafters so to speak and during the singing the volume and energy was extraordinary.”

Over the last year we have seen Places of Worship completely closed to congregations or only providing very limited services. Many resorted to virtual services and support, whilst others adapted their services to work with communities during the pandemic. We saw them step up and offer their premises, staff and volunteers to combat Covid-19. We eagerly look forward to Places of Worship once more being able to offer the full range of services in the communities they so lovingly serve.

The Gurudwara served by the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, on Soho Road, Birmingham where Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh is Spiritual Leader, commenced a special prayer (Sehej Paath) reciting the whole of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji on the announcement of the Duke passing away. The culmination of the special prayers will be on the day of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Funeral.

The Cathedral service can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/4dsZbOD0-Ow