An Upney man was one of 500 volunteer champions chosen from all over the UK who was invited to the Coronation concert at Windsor Castle.

Himanshu Jain, 42, who set up food banks during the pandemic, was recognised by the Royal Voluntary Service as part of the official Coronation celebrations.

“This acknowledges the causes I care about,” he said. “Volunteering gives me fulfilment knowing that I’m contributing to society.

“It’s testament to the importance of volunteering and the impact it has on people, providing resources and manpower to help organisations achieve their goals.”

Himanshu has been volunteering for 18 years for organisations like Barking and Dagenham Faith Forum, Barking and Ilford United Charities, Lola’s Homeless Ladder charity, the Rotary Club of Stratford and Bharat Cricket Community as a founding trustee.

He created the East London Community Hero awards to recognise outstanding contributions — and ironically has now been recognised himself by the Royal Voluntary Service for his “compassion and unwavering dedication as a community volunteer” while juggling with his full-time job and his young family.