A SLOUGH-BASED charity was presented with a prestigious international accolade at the Sikh Awards 2016 in London on Saturday.

Khalsa Aid, based on Whitby Road, Slough, picked up the award for charitable work at the event.

CEO and founder of Khalsa Aid, Ravinder Singh, who grew up in Slough, was presented with the award for Sikhs in Charity at the seventh annual Sikh Awards at London’s Park Plaza Hotel.

The non-governmental organisation was recognised for “demonstrating that they have the community at heart and having a positive impact whilst improving the health and wellbeing of society”.

Khalsa Aid is a global charitable organisation with a vision to spread the message of humanity as taught by the Sikh Gurus, “recognising the whole human race as one”.

Since 1999, Ravinder Singh and his team of volunteers have launched over 40 relief missions across the globe and are currently supporting refugees in the Middle East, especially the ‘Yezidi’ refugees who have suffered as a result of the conflict in Iraq.

Entrepreneur and founder of the Sikh Awards, Navdeep Singh, praised the work of Khalsa Aid paying tribute to the Berkshire charity's selfless service.

He said: “For the amount of work Khalsa Aid has done, this award is an understatement.

"These unsung heroes have been there for the world, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion or geography.

“They extended their hand to humanity, lifting it to new unfathomable heights – leading by example.

"It is with great humility and pride, I thank them for their selfless service to society.”