The co-founder of a campaign which delivered free hot meals to NHS staff, key workers and those facing a food crisis during the pandemic has become a Freeman of the City of London.
Arif Anis, who used to be a shepherd in Pakistan, helped launch the One Million Meals campaign in March 2020 in order to feed NHS workers as restaurants were forced to close during lockdown.
The volunteer-run initiative, backed by sports stars David Beckham and Amir Khan, delivered hundreds of thousands of warm meals to frontline workers across the UK from April to July 2020.
“Covid-19 has been a terrible time for most of us,” Mr Anis, a best-selling author and leadership development expert, said of the pandemic.
“However, this also has been a time when people held each other’s hands and stood shoulder to shoulder, rising above and beyond the call of duty.
“We have some extraordinary stories of persistence, perseverance, and sheer resilience to celebrate during these tough times… I am glad the One Million Meals is one of those stories and we managed to uplift the energies of our hero doctors, nurses, paramedics, ambulance drivers, key workers who were the first line of defence in those terrible days.”
A Freeman of the City of London is one of the oldest awards, believed to have been first presented in 1237, and is a status given to people who have achieved success, recognition or celebrity in their chosen field.
The medieval term “freeman” meant someone who was not the property of a feudal lord but enjoyed privileges such as the right to earn money and own land.
Additional rights associated with them, such as the right to drive sheep or cattle over London Bridge, are now considered symbolic.
“It’s unbelievable for someone who started around 20 years back as a shepherd in a remote part of Pakistan,” Mr Anis said.
“Now I have got shepherding rights to drive the flock on Tower Bridge as a part of privileges as a Freeman.”
After a ceremony at the Guildhall in London, he dedicated the recognition to fellow founders, his family and all those who contributed to the campaign.
“I speak worldwide about crisis leadership… Crises bring opportunities for leaders to stretch, embrace, and evolve new behaviours, solutions and attitudes,” Mr Anis said.
“The One Million Meals campaign was founded as a community response to the Covid-19 crisis.
“I dedicate the Freedom of the City of London recognition to the co-founders of the campaign, Suleman Raza, Bilal (and) Momin, my family, and countless volunteers who rose above and beyond the call of duty in the time of crisis.”
The campaign received country-wide attention as hundreds of Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi and Afro-Caribbean restaurants donated free meals.
The Prime Minister also applauded the work of One Million Meals in May 2021 through the Points of Light Award, which recognised the founders of the campaign for their extraordinary services to the NHS, key workers, the homeless and people in need.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here