A charity that has been supporting minorities in Suffolk for 25 years has received an award from the late Queen.
BSC Multicultural Services was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2022 and this week celebrated the success with its friends and volunteers at a special ceremony on Tuesday night.
Boshor Ali, the chairman of BSC, said: “Just over 25 years ago a group of local community volunteers came together to set up this charity.
“As the members of the BME population continue to grow, we felt the social, educational, cultural and health requirements needed to be highlighted and addressed.
“We started operating in April 1998 with a grant of £250 from Suffolk County Council and since then we have never looked back.
“BSC Multicultural Services is now one of the most respected community organisations in Suffolk.
“Thousands of people of many different nationalities are now benefiting from its projects, event and activities every year.
“The charity has made a real difference to the lives of thousands of socially isolated, culturally marginalised and economically disadvantaged people in Suffolk and beyond.”
Ipswich Borough Council leader David Ellesmere said that he is “blown away” by the amount of voluntary work BSC Multicultural Services has done for the last 25 years.
The charity has been working with the Ipswich council on projects that include providing housing advice to the borough’s tenants, helping to reduce rent arrears as well as showcasing Suffolk businesses run by members of the BME community.
Mojlum Khan, BSCMS secretary, said: “As BSC's 25th birthday is around the corner, only a few months away, it's interesting looking back at this journey.
“It all appears that somebody's planned all this, actually it wasn’t. We just happened to be fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
“The founders of this organisation wanted to make Ipswich and Suffolk a better place for everybody, and there is a reason why this needed to be done.
“One of my favourite philosophers said, ‘you judge a civilised society by how they treat their vulnerable and disadvantaged’.
“Our founders needed to look after those members of the society.
“We want to empower men, women, children, young people and the elderly, and highlight the contribution and achievements of BME people across the county.”
Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2022 recognises the outstanding work of local volunteer groups across the UK.
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