A football coach who has trained hundreds of young players visited the Tower of London to receive his British Empire Medal.
Jasvir Jassal, of St Joseph's Drive, Southall, was presented with the prestigious medal on Friday (April 25) last week by the Queen's representative Sir David Brewer, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London.
The 48-year-old IT analyst, who is vice-chairman of Cranford-based youth football club Concorde Rangers FC, where he has volunteered for a decade, was named in the Queen's New Year Honours list for voluntary service to community football in Middlesex.
He was joined by his youngest son Akash, 15, himself a qualified referee, his wife Baljit and his father Ajit Singh.
"The ceremony was phenomenal and I was so proud three generations of my family were there to witness such a big moment in my life," he said.
"My vision has always been to offer social and educational development opportunities to the next generation using the power of sport."
Receiving her British Empire Medal alongside him was Amarjit Bakhshi, of Denbigh Road, Hounslow, who has dedicated her retirement years to helping people young and old.
Since stepping down as deputy headteacher of Alexandra Junior School, in Hounslow, the 73-year-old has helped raise awareness of mental health issues, worked to inspire the next generation of athletes and organised healthy walks for parents in the borough, to name just a few tasks.
A former member of Hounslow Older People's Volunteer Pool, she is the general secretary of Sikh charity the Puthohar Association and helps out at Hounslow Multicultural Centre, among other responsibilities.
"It was a very good day and it was nice to be joined by my husband Waryam and two of my three children, Ashwinder and Sarbjit," she said.
