A 13-year-old girl from Seven Kings who donated her birthday money to help feed those in need has been nominated for an award.

Amrita Sapal is this month’s nominee for the Ilford Recorder/Redbridge Rotary Young Citizen Awards.

The Bancroft's School pupil gave £120 to Sikh Empowerment Voluntary Association (SEVA), a charity feeding the homeless in Ilford, after volunteering at one of the group’s events last month.

Her mother, Jasvinder Sapal, took her children to the community feed on August 10 and the experience inspired Amrita to donate the money she received on her birthday two days later.

“The whole point was that they could see that we are fortunate but not everyone is and it’s sometimes good to consider other people as well,” said Jasvinder.

“We are really proud of her. She didn’t once say ‘what about my present’, she’s really happy to give, happy to help.”

SEVA have been providing hot meals, clothing and winter rucksacks filled with essentials to homeless people in Redbridge since 2015.

They are inspired by the principle of Seva – common to both Hinduism and Sikhism – which stresses the importance of work or service performed without thought of reward or personal benefit.