“I just want to give something back.”

Twenty two years ago, a 12-year-old boy set off on a solitary journey from war-torn Afghanistan to London, in search of safety.

He made it to Kent, where the county’s social services housed him, and helped him learn to English and to fit into society. He says it changed his life. By 2006 he was champion amateur boxer, and by 2015 he had gone pro.

This summer Sohail Ahmad will open his first restaurant, Eggoland, in central London. He is one of the countless refugees who has enriched British life by being here.

“I just always wanted to be able to give things to people,” he told us. “I’m grateful that there was a system here that I could fit in to, and try to do well.”

Like most refugees, Sohail Ahmad came to give, not to receive. Remember him tonight as you listen to the news stories about refugee minors arriving in Kent, and hear the needless fear and hostility of a small but vocal minority.

Pic Credit : Posh Cockney Ltd
@poshcockneyltd (shot by Lyle Boenke @lyleboenkephotography)