A DOCTOR dedicated to creating community cohesion and a leading figure in music publishing have been recognised in the New Year Honours list.
Dr Qadir Bakhsh, from Buckhurst Hill, has been made an MBE for his work in building links between different faiths and ethnic minorities in east London.
Dr Bakhsh is a non-executive director on the board of NHS West Essex Primary Care Trust, and previously held the same post at NHS Redbridge.
He founded the E.A.G.L.E.S Consultancy, which offers equality and leadership training, and is also the chairman of the Waltham Forest Refugee Advice Centre.
Dr Bakhsh has been involved in the voluntary sector since 1968 and is an executive committee member of the London East Three Faiths Forum.
Ellis Rich, from Chigwell, has been chairman of the Performing Rights Society (PRS) since 2005, and has been made an OBE in recognition for his years spent working in music publishing.
Mr Rich has been in the industry since 1963 and is also a noted musician, conductor, film music composer, and songwriter.
The PRS exists to collect and pay out royalties to its members if their compositions are recorded, broadcast, played or performed anywhere in the world.
In 1989, Mr Rich formed the Independent Music Network, a collective of small music publishers, after reportedly scribbling a brief plan on a scrap of paper in a New York hotel room at 4am.
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 The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.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