‘I’ll never stop working for peace and justice’

It is 20 years since Rev Inderjit Bhogal OBE launched the first City of Sanctuary in his home town of Sheffield. But the work of welcome, hospitality and reconciliation is more vital now than ever, he says

Inderjit Bhogal was raised a Sikh, but when he and his family moved to England in the 1960s, there were just two Sikh temples in the whole country – and none near his home in Dudley. With no prospect of being able to attend a gurdwara, he instead found the nearest place of worship, which happened to be a Methodist chapel. The church made him “feel really welcome” – a stark contrast to the racism he experienced from other parts of British society at the time. He started attending regularly, becoming “captivated by the story of Christ” in the process, and ultimately converting to Christianity.