Gurvinder Sandher, Artistic Director of the Cohesion Plus and CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council received his MBE for services to the arts and the communities of Kent from Anne, Princess Royal at Windsor Castle on February 28th. He had been awarded the prestigious award by Her Majesty the Queen in her last birthday honours list in June 2022.

Gurvinder created Cohesion Plus in 2008 to compliment the work he was already doing with the then North West Kent Racial Equality Council to use the arts to bring communities together. He is in his own capacity a renowned bhangra dancer having performed all over the world and is a co-founder of Four by Four Bhangra one of the leading and respected exponents of Bhangra dance outside of India.

After the ceremony Gurvinder commented “This is a truly proud moment for me, my family and also all the community groups and partners I have had the privilege of working with over the past 24 years. It was great to meet with Anne, Princess Royal and talk about our work in Kent, bringing communities together through the arts and celebrating what binds us rather than divides us. As a son of immigrants from North India who arrived here without anything in the early 1960’s, to receive this recognition just shows what can be achieved with hard work, determination and a little bit of luck.”