Awarded for 28 years of service to council and voluntary work during pandemic
Manvir pictured with Marcus Rashford at Windsor Castle
A Hammersmith and Fulham social worker was at Windsor Castle last week to receive an MBE from Prince William recently at the same time as Marcus Rashford.
Manvir Hothi was given the honour for her ‘outstanding contribution to social work’ and voluntary work throughout Covid-19.
“It was an amazing day and really lovely to talk with Prince William about social work,” said Manvir, who received the award at an in-person ceremony.
“The day was made even better as Marcus Rashford received his MBE just after me, so I had a chance to talk with him about the work we do with our young people, as well as families experiencing poverty.”
The award came as a surprise to Manvir, “I am still quite overwhelmed to have been recognised in such a manner and really do appreciate it.”
However, her colleagues have reported it’s very well deserved. Manvir has worked in H&F for 28 years, initially as a community worker before her current role as a social worker, and her commitment to those in need goes above and beyond this work.
It was announced in October 2020 that Manvir had been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her voluntary work throughout the pandemic.
Over lockdown Manvir set up a project to help NHS staff suffering from sore hands because of regular handwashing.
Manvir receives her MBE from Prince William
She sourced more than 2,500 hand creams from Boots and Avon, and distributed them to GP surgeries and care homes, as well as at Charing Cross, Chelsea and Westminster, and St Mary’s Hospitals, and further afield to Bedford, Lister, Addenbrooke’s and Papworth hospitals.
Manvir also worked with volunteers and charities to distribute 75 face shields, large quantities of biscuits and soups, 250 lip balms, 100 deodorants, and 200 body washes to those on the frontline.
Alongside these distributions she helped set up Sewing For Heroes – a group which has sewn more than 500 scrubs bags, 250 scrubs, as well as scrub hats and face masks for distribution to NHS staff and care workers across the country.
With a group of friends, she continued to support NHS staff across London and beyond as restrictions eased. This included working closely with the Legacy of War Foundation, a charity set up to support civilians affected by conflict, that distributed PPE, essential personal hygiene items, food and drink to NHS staff in East Sussex, as well as providing transport to take essential workers to and from work.
She has helped set up and run HIV/Aids awareness projects in Wormwood Scrubs prison to support inmates’ safety and education.
She also travelled to Calais in 2017 as part of the Safe Passage scheme to assess and support child refugees.
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Jacob Phillips - Local Democracy Reporter
November 22, 2021
