“At a time of rising social tensions stoked by populist right wing movements for their own hidden agenda, there has never been a more important time to celebrate the contribution Asian food and restaurants make to British life.”

After nine successful years of honouring the very best in Asian cuisine and hospitality, Samara Events UK proudly announces the 10th Anniversary of the Asian Food & Restaurant Awards (AFRA), celebrating an incredible decade-long journey of culinary excellence.

AFRA CEO Attul Haq said: “The British-Asian food and hospitality and industry plays a significant role in the UK economy and contributes greatly to the country’s cultural and economic growth. These awards are about celebrating that contribution and highlighting the people and brands that are driving Britain’s food industry forward.”

The Chair of the Judging Committee for 2025 is George Shaw, Editor of The Good Curry Guide personality, restaurant marketing consultant and influential figure in hospitality.

“At a time of rising social tensions stoked by populist right wing movements for their own hidden agenda, there has never been a more important time to celebrate the contribution Asian food and restaurants make to British life,” said Shaw, adding, “Asians in the hospitality sector are a beacon of light showing the enrichment afforded by multiculturalism and the social cohesion enjoyed by most people in our towns and cities around the country.

Spice loving public and professionals across the UK can nominate their favourite restaurants, takeaways, food brands, and hospitality businesses by email to info@samarap.org.

“We welcome nominations from every city, town, and borough,” said the AFRA team. “Our mission is to recognise all deserving brands and businesses that continue to raise the standard of British-Asian cuisine.”

The Asian Food & Restaurant Awards is an annual black-tie gala dinner dedicated to recognising excellence across the Asian food and hospitality sector. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements among restaurants, takeaways, chefs, food and drink brands, catering companies, retailers, and suppliers that have made an indelible mark on the eating habits of the British public.

This year’s prestigious event, hosted by Bollywood star and radio presenter Anushka Arora, will take place on Monday, 2nd December at one of Britain’s most iconic venues, The Dilly Hotel, Mayfair, London.

The Awards, staged by Samara Events, are supported by Taste Asia, Madhu’s, Cobra Beer, Sunrise Radio, Punjab TV, Brit Punjabi, Do Care and PayTap.

For further information, nominations, or partnership enquiries, please contact:

 Email: info@samarap.org

 Website:  www.samarap.org

 Media Enquiries: +44 (0)20 1234 5678  +44 (0)7860 695555

Professor Chandan from the University of Birmingham was made Clinical Professor of Public Health in August, having already established a track record for research in health inequalities and violence prevention. Chandan studied medicine in London before moving back to Birmingham in 2016 to continue his training as a junior doctor, where he also pursued a part time PhD in Public Health.

Chandan has since attracted more than £19m of research funding as Principle or Co-Investigator for research in violence prevention, addressing health inequalities, public health and health data science. Key publications include the establishing of how and why survivors of violence against women and children experienced ill health. Chandan established an international reputation in violence reduction, being on the leadership team for Lancet Commission on Violence Against Women and Children and now leads the NIHR Global Health Group on Violence Against Women and Children, focused on fostering research capacity in the UK and across 12 countries.

In a time where health inequalities are widening in the UK and around the world, I am proud to be working with partners working in healthcare, research and policy, such as Birmingham Health Partners to understand and find imaginative solutions to bring equitable access to quality health provision.

Professor Joht Chandan

Professor Joht Singh Chandan, Clinical Professor of Public Health at the University of Birmingham said:

“I am honoured to have become the youngest clinical professor in the UK. The honour is testament to my family, friends, colleagues and Gurudwara community who have supported and pushed me over years, particularly my family who have inspired me to work hard and live an honest life.

“In a time where health inequalities are widening in the UK and around the world, I am proud to be working with partners working in healthcare, research and policy, such as Birmingham Health Partners to understand and find imaginative solutions to bring equitable access to quality health provision.

Special Constable

During his medical degree at University College London, Professor Chandan also began volunteering as a Special Constable for the Metropolitan Police. After moving back to Birmingham to pursue his medical career, Chandan continued to volunteer with West Midlands Police, and he’s believed to be the first active Special in UK Policing to pass the national standard detective exam. Joht became the first Special to work as part of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, which plays a vital role in protecting young people from neglect and maltreatment. The combination of day job as a doctor and volunteer duties in this area prompted him to start working on a PhD.

Professor Chandan said: “We spend a lot of time in medical school thinking about how to be empathetic and non-judgemental, but it’s more difficult to understand what is happening in the lives of our patients as we always make them come to us in hospitals and GP surgeries. What I saw volunteering with the Police played an important role in my decision to pursue public health. Officers work exceptionally hard in the community to understand how to best support vulnerable groups.

“On my shifts I begun to see how people from vulnerable backgrounds, those who were victims or perpetrators of crime, experienced poor health and I knew that at this point my calling was in Public health to do something to support such communities.”

Handsworth Wood

Chandan grew up in Handsworth Wood in Birmingham alongside his two inspirational older siblings (Har-Inder and Pritam), where his hard-working parents (Jaswinder Pal and Sukhwinder) ran a local business, JP Emporium, in Handsworth for 35 years. Chandan combined school and field hockey where Chandan represented the national team as a goalkeeper, while playing for local team Barford Tigers.

With his loving and supportive wife, Jaidev (whom he met whilst doing his postgraduate studies at the University of Birmingham) and young son, Sukhjinder, Professor Chandan continues to work and live in the city.

Chandan said: “My heart is in this city [Birmingham] and I have very fond memories from my childhood. During my school years at King Edward’s Camp Hill School for Boys, I really enjoyed sciences and design and I’m grateful for the support from my teachers who encouraged me to pursue medicine and helped me find my calling in public health.”

Secretary of State for Energy Security Claire Coutinho announced the award of over £75 million from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to offer free upgrades to tenants’ homes including insulation, double glazing and the installation of heat pumps. The scheme is already working to reach around 100,000 households.

Funding will be available to 42 councils and housing associations across England to install energy saving measures in social homes, while supporting 1,300 jobs in the UK’s retrofit industry.

This funding will help some of the lowest income households by delivering warm and energy efficient homes, lifting people out of fuel poverty and improving the comfort and wellbeing of social housing tenants.

Almost half of all homes in England are now rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C or above, up from 14% in 2010.

Secretary of State for Energy Security Claire Coutinho said:

Our Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is helping families to keep their homes warm and their bills down. We want to support hard-working families to make changes, rather than burdening them with unnecessary costs.

This funding today will help up to a further 8,800 households save around £400 a year on their energy bills.

Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan said:

Already working to deliver free home upgrades to around 100,000 social homes, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is helping low-income families have cheaper bills and a warmer home.

We’re now going even further to cut energy bills for more social tenants, all while supporting an additional 1,300 jobs in the UK’s retrofit industry.

Open to applicants who had not received funding in the previous wave – which is also expected to save tenants around up to £400 on their energy bills – this funding will bring many new social housing landlords into the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund for the first time, helping to ensure the programme reaches as many social homes as possible.

The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund has already allocated over £1 billion since 2019, with projects including:

• Durham County Council, which previously received over £5 million to upgrade around 1,300 homes. This includes Colin Barnes, a local social housing tenant from Karbon Homes who described the positive impact of the changes on his home as: “You put the heating on for 20-30 minutes and it heats up even quicker – it holds the heat for ages.”

• Manchester City Council and One Manchester, which was previously awarded around £3 million to help install external wall insulation and air-source heat pumps. Asked if the new measures had made a difference to her energy bills, One Manchester tenant Vicky Connor said: “Yeah, it works out. If you’re looking at it, if you’re watching it works out as being good. Works out at about £7 a day.”

The government is allocating around £20 billion over this Parliament and next to improve the energy efficiency and low carbon heating of homes and businesses, reducing reliance on fossil fuel heating and reducing household energy bills.

This includes the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which is helping households make the switch from fossil fuel heating systems to cleaner low carbon alternatives.

Having increased the grant by 50% to £7,500 – making it one of the most generous schemes of its kind in Europe – applications are on a sustained surge, with the average monthly number of applications from November 2023 to January this year 39% higher than the monthly average before the uplift.

The government also recently announced that homeowners will have more choice in how they improve their home and will no longer have to install cavity wall or loft insulation to use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation Kate Henderson said:

Housing associations play a crucial role in helping the country to meet its net zero targets and are already leading the way on energy efficiency, but funding is essential for maintaining this work.

The sector is committed to providing energy efficient and comfortable homes for their residents that are affordable to heat, and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is key to enabling them to do so; I’ve seen first-hand the difference it has made.

The funding announced today will give housing associations the certainty and confidence they need to plan and deliver more retrofit projects, tackle fuel poverty, and improve their residents’ homes.

Chief Executive of the Northern Housing Consortium Tracy Harrison said:

I’m delighted to see continued government support for SHDF, with Wave 2.2 helping to support a number of smaller housing associations. This is vital funding to complement the investment our members are making to deliver more green home upgrades, to help residents with lower bills and warmer homes.

Reaction from previous Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund winners

Head of Planning and Housing at Durham Country Council Michael Kelleher said:

We have ambitious targets to reduce County Durham’s carbon footprint and we continue to work with partners to achieve this aim.

The energy efficiency retrofit works carried out through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund have made a significant difference to households. Not only has it benefitted the environment by reducing the carbon emissions of the houses involved, but the more efficient energy use has also helped reduce heating and electricity costs for tenants.

Chief Executive of Karbon Homes Paul Fiddaman said:

With a diverse range of homes, across rural and urban communities and everything in between, this vital funding is enabling us, and other registered providers across the North East, to make real progress in retrofitting and decarbonising our homes.

Not only has this programme helped us lower the carbon footprint of these homes, but it’s also helped us provided our customers with warmer, more comfortable homes. As the cost of living crisis continues to have an impact, and we look for more ways to help customers financially, this work has never been more important. 

The Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards is the most prestigious celebration of Pan Asian cuisine in the UK, honouring Asian restaurants all over the UK. ARTA 2023 welcomed a guest list of the nation’s most popular Asian restaurateurs alongside MPs, dignitaries, and celebrities as they collectively honoured the achievements of the industry.

The ceremony was hosted by TV presenters, Samantha Simmonds and Paul Martin. Paul Martin also entertained the guests with a magic tricks show.

Interspersing the awards presentation was a curated world-class entertainment, including a performance by singer Kavya Limaye and Ujaan Mukherjee, both performed live and delighted the audience with their talent.

Winners at the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards 2023 are:

Champion of Champion: The Milnrow Balti Restaurant, Rochdale, Oldham

National Chef of the Year: The Chequers Indian Lounge, Great Blakenham, Ipswich

National Takeaway of the Year: Kaani Kaana, Chelmsford

Newcomer of the Year: Coco Buffet, Weston-super-Mare

Fine Dine Restaurant of the Year: Dining Room, Sheerness, Rochester

Street Food Restaurant of the Year: My Delhi, Newcastle upon Tyne

Japanese Restaurant of the Year: Maneki Ramen, Worcester

Korean Restaurant of the Year: Yori, Piccadilly Circus, London

Sri Lankan Restaurant of the Year: Colombo Kitchen Restaurant, Worcester Park, Kingston upon Thames

European Restaurant of the Year: Tamasha, Playa Blanca, Spain

Regional Restaurant of the Year – Northern Ireland: Nu Delhi Restaurant Lounge, Belfast

Regional Restaurant of the Year – Wales: Belfoi, Carmarthen, Swansea

Regional Restaurant of the Year – North West: The Milnrow Balti Restaurant, Rochdale, Oldham

Regional Restaurant of the Year – West Midlands: Shifnal Balti, Shifnal, Telford

Regional Restaurant of the Year – East Midlands: Nazreen, Kettering, Northampton

Regional Restaurant of the Year – Hertfordshire: Cumin Bar & Restaurant, Broxbourne, Enfield

Regional Restaurant of the Year – Essex: Cinnamon, Epping, Chelmsford

Regional Restaurant of the Year – Surrey: Tarana, Lingfield, Redhill

Regional Restaurant of the Year – South Central: Jalpari of Woodley, Woodley, Reading

Regional Restaurant of the Year – North London: The Rajdoot, Hampstead, London

Regional Restaurant of the Year – South London: Saka Maka, Hither Green, London

Regional Restaurant of the Year – West London: Durbar Tandoori Restaurant, Bayswater, London

Regional Restaurant of the Year – South West: Daaku, Falmouth, Truro

Regional Restaurant of the Year – Sussex: Tamasha, Lindfield, Redhill

Regional Restaurant of the Year – North East: Raval Indian Brasserie & Bar, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne

Regional Takeaway of the Year – North East: Balti Hut, Linthorpe, Cleveland

Regional Takeaway of the Year – North West: Bradshaw Tandoori, Bradshaw, Bolton

Regional Takeaway of the Year – West Midlands: Chutney Express, Castle Bromwich, Birmingham

Regional Takeaway of the Year – Essex: Kaani Kaana, Chelmsford

Regional Takeaway of the Year – Surrey: Mohini Balti House, Carshalton, Sutton

Regional Takeaway of the Year – Kent: Sher-E-Bangla, Longfield, Dartford

Regional Takeaway of the Year – East Anglia: Eastern Spice Ipswich, Suffolk, Ipswich

Regional Takeaway of the Year – East Midlands: Miah’s Takeaway, Heanor, Derby

Regional Takeaway of the Year – Wales: Kalimirch, Barry, Cardiff

Chef of the Year – Wales: Elaichi, Carmarthen, Swansea

Chef of the Year – East Anglia: The Chequers Indian Lounge, Great Blakenham, Ipswich

Chef of the Year – East London: The Empress, Whitechapel, East London

Chef of the Year – South West: Spice Club, Bridgwater, Taunton

Chef of the Year – Surrey: Indian Panorama, East Molesey, Kingston upon Thames

Chef of the Year – Hertfordshire: Ruby, Hertford, Stevenage

ARTA Founder Mohammed Munim said at the awards this year, “I would like to congratulate all of the winners and finalists of ARTA 2023 – the Pan Asian restaurants, takeaways, and chefs who are the pride of the UK’s hospitality industry. As the first and foremost award ceremony to honour the finest of the UK’s Asian restaurant and takeaway industry, we salute your resilience and fortitude as you continue to serve diners and customers across the UK in particularly challenging circumstances. I would like to thank Lords, Ministers, High Commissioners, dignitaries, and guests for joining us on this occasion.

“The UK’s popular Asian restaurant industry, synonymous with taking operational and business challenges such as staff shortages and the Covid pandemic head on, now faces a new set of challenges – the current cost of living crisis. The cost of supplies, ingredients, and energy have risen significantly while customers are also facing tightened household budgets. In this tough situation, ARTA once again honours the UK’s best Asian restaurants and takeaways who continue to deliver the best in the restaurant and home dining in these tough circumstances. ARTA recognises this industry, which is the result and displays the successes of multiculturalism in the UK.”

ARTA is the only official award that recognises, promotes, and celebrates the immense importance and popularity of the Pan Asian catering industry in the UK, as determined by its consumers. 

The Commonwealth Games Community Fund was created with the aim of connecting all areas of the city to the Games, providing a host of fun free-to-access initiatives that were designed, led and delivered by local people and organisations for their communities.

The fund was divided into five areas: Creative City, Celebrating Communities, Physical Activity, Stronger Communities and Youth Engagement through a mix of small grants programmes and support to directly commissioned projects that aligned to both the council priorities and Games mission pillars.

Key highlights from the report include:

• 106 Creative City projects showcased our unique cultural offer as part of the six-month Birmingham 2022 Festival – with over 19,000 participants.

• 263 Celebrating Communities projects took the Games celebrations to every ward in the city. 72% of the projects were in the city’s most deprived wards.

• 70 Active Streets and eight Community Games were delivered.

• Over 117,000 Birmingham school children experienced the Games through lessons, mascot visits, celebration days and more.

• 22 Heritage Trails were created.

• 49 young community journalists trained.

The Community Fund Impact Report contains case studies from each funding strand, key learnings and further legacy opportunities.

Cllr John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The eyes of the world were on Birmingham last summer for an unforgettable Commonwealth Games, and we were always clear that the event was about much more than 11 days of sport. It was also about celebrating Birmingham, and the people and communities that make this such an amazing city.

“That’s why we invested £6m into a Community Fund to deliver activity across Birmingham. We wanted to take the Games celebrations to local communities, to give our residents the opportunity to celebrate the Games in their own way.

“The Community Fund provides a strong base for us to build on the success of the Commonwealth Games and realise our legacy ambitions to become a world-class major events city.”

To protect the most vulnerable communities here at home and abroad, the international humanitarian organisation Penny Appeal have once again launched their Winter Emergency campaign, which globally aided 20,330 people last year. The theme of their Winter Emergency campaign this season is ‘Home is not home’, highlighting the struggles of low-income families, the elderly, refuges, the homeless and the victims of disaster and domestic violence.

As part of their Winter Emergency campaign, Penny Appeal will be releasing 4 short dramatic micro shorts that follow the stories of those most affected by lockdown and the harsh winter season. As a charity, this is the first time they will be airing these dramatic micro shorts alongside 2 traditional adverts.

 As more people watch TV and share more mobile content, the charity has created short film dramas which will highlight and create greater awareness of certain issues that affect many in society. Their debut micro film will be released in 2 parts, and focus on the story of 27-year-old Nasrin.

Nasrin has been living in fear long before the coronavirus pandemic began and after being forced to spend time in isolation with her husband Iqbal and his temper, she needs help. Nasrin, like so many other vulnerable people, is a victim of domestic abuse and Penny Appeal are sharing her story to raise awareness about domestic violence. Penny Appeal’s short dramatic films are all based on true events, meant to be consumed as the stories they are rather than a normal avert.

When coronavirus lockdown measures began, the UK saw a 33% rise in domestic abuse reports. In 2019, 2.4 million adults between the ages of 16 -74 experienced domestic abuse, and now these numbers are on the rise due to COVID-19. This has caused nationwide concern for the safety of those in vulnerable situations.

“As Covid-19 is now a part of daily life, domestic abuse has risen significantly. The lockdown period made it difficult for victims to get support or flee an abusive relationship, as a result calls to our Domestic Abuse Helpline increased by 30%. The distressing calls we have received, show just how intense domestic abuse can become when families are forced to coexist 24/7,” said Hinna Zafar, Penny Appeal’s Wellbeing Services Manager.

She continued, saying, “Penny Appeal are committed to improving the lives of all those affected by domestic abuse, so women and children can live safely. We provide a range of services to offer a listening ear, practical solutions, and empowering victims to rebuild their lives.”

This winter, in addition to their confidential Domestic Abuse Hotline and counselling services which are provided in English and various South Asian languages, Penny Appeal have partnered with Birmingham Women’s Aid to provide toiletries, gifts for children and food parcels for women fleeing domestic abuse.

Moreover, they will also be working with housing associations to provide the victims of domestic violence with duvets and luxury festive hampers to make the seasonal period a special time for those going through hardships.

You can watch the first half of Nasrin’s story at https://pennyappeal.org/appeal/winter-emergency/winter-at-home, as well as make a donation towards Penny Appeal’s UK Winter Emergency campaign to provide support for the victims of domestic abuse this winter.

But Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand, who are an Associated Press news agency’s photographers, used their skills and showed to the world the realities of Kashmir. Now, they have been awarded with the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in feature photography.

Due to the ban on mass public gatherings, all the activities have been halted so the winners were publicized virtually on Monday. The winners were declared by the Pulitzer Board Administrator Dana Canedy from the living room through a live stream. No ceremony was held owing to corona virus outbreak.

Pulitzer stated on their website that the Kashmiri photographers received an award for their conspicuous and noticeable pictures of life in the contested territory of Himalaya.

Pulitzers are considered as the highest honour that journalists and organizations of the United States can receive.

Winding around roadblocks, sometimes seeking shelter in strangers’ homes and concealing cameras in vegetable bags, the photographers captured incredible and striking images of fights, police and paramilitary activity in everyday life.

They then went to the nearby airport and convinced the travellers to take the photo records with them. They persuaded them to hand it over to the AP’s office in the Indian capital, New Delhi.

It was not east and was always cat – and – mouse but these things made our spirits higher. Yasin and Khan belong to Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar, while Anand is from Jammu district.

The AP’s President and CEO Gary Pruitt praised their extraordinary work saying that they have revealed the long struggle of Kashmiris before the world. The world would have remained unaware otherwise.

The conflict between the two nuclear powers over the Kashmir region dates back to the time when both countries got independence from Britishers. Since then, both countries claim Kashmir. Recent tensions arose after India abrogated its own law and revoked the special status of Kashmir and deployed more troops in the already heavy militarized area. Curfew was imposed and there was a complete internet blackout in the Valley.

In this new tax year, full electric vehicles registered will see their BiK rates fall to 0%* (from the previous 16% in tax year 2019/2020), rising to 1% the next year, and to 2% the following year, under current Government plans.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles have also experienced a fall in company car tax rates. For vehicles with CO₂ emissions between 1-50g/km, the amount paid in BiK will depend on the electric range of the vehicle.

The PEUGEOT 3008 HYBRID4 achieves CO₂ emissions from as low as 29g/km under WLTP testing, with an all-electric range of up to 40 miles on a full charge. The new BiK rate for the 3008 HYBRID4 registered after 6^th April 2020 is 6%* (having dropped from 16% in the previous year), rising to 7% in 2021/2022 and 8% the following year.

The entire PEUGEOT range of BEV and PHEV models will be eligible for Capital Allowance claims. Through a Capital Allowance claim, businesses can subtract the whole or part of their vehicles’ value from their profits before tax. Under current guidelines, in the first year of purchase, businesses can deduct the entire value of the asset from profits before taxes for cars that emit less than 50g/km CO₂ **.

David Peel, Managing Director of PEUGEOT UK, said: “The tax and running cost benefits of owning a fully electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle don’t just extend to private buyers, businesses and fleet operators can benefit too. With costs often at the forefront of fleet buyers’ minds, the tax savings from EVs and PHEVs can be crucial when it comes to choosing which vehicles to run.” 

PEUGEOT recently announced a two-year partnership with Pod Point as the company’s exclusive supplier of electric vehicle charge points. Pod Point is the official charge point supplier for the PEUGEOT 3008 SUV HYBRID or HYBRID4, 508 HYBRID, all-new 508 SW HYBRID, as well as the all-new e-208 and e-2008 SUV models. Grant funding is available for the first-time installation of home and workplace charge points.

All PEUGEOT PHEV and BEV models can be charged from a domestic power socket*** and 7kW charge point. Rapid charge is also available on BEV models, which achieves 80 per cent of battery capacity in half an hour using a public rapid charge point.

For public chargers, PEUGEOT has partnered with Polar Plus, offering new BEV and PHEV buyers a free six-month subscription to the UK’s largest public charging network.

All PEUGEOT PHEV and BEV models also qualify for the London Congestion Charging Cleaner Vehicle Discount, gaining exemption from the London Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emissions Zone.

By 2023, PEUGEOT will provide an electrified variant across its entire model line-up. The PEUGEOT Boxer Electric is due for launch in 2020, as well as the e-Expert. However, an extensive range of PEUGEOT PHEV and BEV models (including the 3008 SUV HYBRID or HYBRID4, 508 HYBRID, all-new 508 SW HYBRID, all-new e-208 and all-new e-2008 SUV) are now available to order. This can be done from the comfort of your home using PEUGEOT’s Buy Online platform, where retail customers can configure their chosen PEUGEOT, personalise their finance and then place an order, which will be delivered as soon as UK Government guidelines allow.