Wolverhampton’s top wrestling coach and COVID-19 community hero Ranjit Singh became the latest member of our Lionhearts squad on Tuesday afternoon.
The 44 year old was named as squad number two during the England Live Show from St. George’s Park, where the Three Lions squad have assembled ahead of this month’s games with Iceland and Denmark.
And it’s just-reward for Ranjit who worked with the Cannock Road Gurdwara in Wolverhampton to help to serve daily food to around 300 members of the local community including vulnerable and homeless people.
To top things off, he also had 1500 PPE equipment pieces manufactured and distributed to day care centres across the country as well as making bespoke equipment for those on the front line who might require amendments, such as male Sikh doctors whose beards may affect how they can wear a face mask.
The Lionhearts initiative, supported by BT, will pay homage to 23 inspirational individuals who have gone above and beyond during this challenging time for the nation.
And Ranjit’s work over the last few months hasn’t gone un-noticed with our panel picking him out from the 100s of nominations made.
“I’m chuffed to be here,” said Ranjit, a Wolves fan with a soft spot for Liverpool, during the live show which also featured captain Harry Kane and newcomer Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
“I got a little message from the guys at the Birmingham FA who we’ve been working with and it’s just been hard to keep it quiet since then.
“We’re just a community based club, so we just wanted to help them and instead of wrestling on a mat, we decided to put our energy into helping the community.
“We started off with 60 or 70 meals a day in the first week, then it went up to 100 and eventually 300 meals a day.
“And we gave the PPE out to care homes, doctor’s surgeries and NHS staff and now we’re also sending them to the West Midlands Police and nationwide.”
The squad so far...
1.Captain Sir Tom Moore – Record-breaking centenarian who raised more than £32million for NHS Charities Together
2. Ranjit Singh – The wrestling coach from Wolverhampton helped organise daily meals for 300 people and the distribution of PPE equipment
5. Betty-Leigh Allinson – Football shirt enthusiast aged five who has raised over £27,000 for a Hertfordshire hospice through a cycling feat
9. Tobias Weller – Nine-year-old inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore to raise almost £150,000 for Sheffield-based charities
15. Hassan Akkad – Award-winning film maker who answered a call to be a cleaner in his local hospital before raising awareness of NHS bereavement fund
16. Akbar Khan - Bradford-based volunteer for a charity for people with disabilities who brought their community together during COVID-19 lockdown
22. Daniel Sukula – Community leader from Bolton who, after being saved from deportation back to DR Congo, founded a centre for disadvantaged youths
