News
HRH pays tribute to the contribution of British Asians
21st April 2010
The Prince of Wales celebrated the contribution of British Asians from the worlds of entertainment, sport and business at St. James’s Palace this evening.
The Prince praised the contribution Asians have made to UK life and the charitable work of many high-profile members of the community at a reception for supporters of the British Asian Trust.
His Royal Highness’s tribute came during a dinner that featured a host of celebrities from EastEnders stars Nina Wadia, Nitin Ganatra and Preeya Kalidas to cricketer Mark Ramprakash.
Also amongst the guests were Dragon's Den businessman James Caan, comedian Sanjeev Bashkar and film-maker Gurinder Chadha.
The host of Asian luminaries are all supporters or ambassadors of the British Asian Trust - a charity founded three years ago by The Prince of Wales and senior Asian business leaders.
The dinner was held to thank them and the organisation's staff for their efforts.
The Prince told his guests: "I established the British Asian Trust some three years ago because I had become increasingly aware that in the course of my lifetime more than two million people of South Asian descent had made their homes in this country.
"I had also become every more acutely conscious of the frankly enormous contribution which they make to the wellbeing of the United Kingdom."
He added: "I wanted to find a way to celebrate it to say in a small way thank you for all you do."
He went on to say: "I also wanted to help galvanise if we could our British Asians or 'Brasians' - as the Welsh might say - community to become a powerful agent of philanthropic change."
The Trust serves as a "social fund" supporting charities working in the areas of education, enterprise and health in countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UK.