Jasvinder "Jaz" Rai
OBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(
Punjabi:: ਜਸਵਿੰਦਰ ਰਾਏ, born in Derby) is a British Aerospace engineer, community leader and chairperson of the Sikh Recovery Network which supports people with alcohol and drug addictions. He regularly talks about addiction and other issues of importance to the Sikh community in the media and in 2020, was recognised by
10 Downing Street for his work supporting people with drug and alcohol addiction. He was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours.
Career and work
Jaz Rai is founder and chairperson of the Sikh Recovery Network. He setup the network after his own addiction challenges with alcohol which included drinking up to 1 litre of vodka a day. He now supports people with addictions in a number of cities including Leicester and Derby.
In 2011, his relative Kalwinder Singh Dhindsa, designed the first Sikh poppy khanda holder in honour of the 80000 Sikhs that gave their lives in the world wars and raised thousands of pounds for the Royal British Legion. As a result, they were both invited to attend the remembrance festival at London's Royal Albert Hall.
In 2015, Jaz Rai hosted the first Alcohol and Beyond TV show on Sikh Channel and due to the success of the show it is currently in its 9th season.
In 2016, he was invited to New York to address the UN's General Assembly over 3 days regarding the global challenges of the world drug problem.
Awards and recognition
In 2019, his charity was given official recognition with the charity commission.
In 2020, he was recognised as a ‘Points of Light’ winner by
10 Downing Street for his work supporting people with drug and alcohol addiction.
In the
2021 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...
, Jaz Singh was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to the Sikh community during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is one of a handful of Sikhs in the world to hold this distinction.
Views
Jaz Rai regularly talks about addiction and other issues of importance to the Sikh community in the media.
See also
*
List of British Sikhs
List of British Sikhs is a list of notable Sikhs from the United Kingdom.
Academia and education
*Harjinder Singh Dilgeer – National Professor of Sikh History. Member of SGPC Sikh History Research Board and author of 60 books on Sikhism.
*Ha ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Jay
Living people
People from Derby
British Sikhs
Founders of charities
Rolls-Royce people
British mechanical engineers
British activists
British people of Punjabi descent
Year of birth missing (living people)