Peter Virdee born and raised in Birmingham has been working in the property business for the last 19 years. Peter is a founding Partner of B & S Property and has interests in numerous other businesses. B & S Property has set up HK & JH Charitable Trust which contributes significantly in relieving people all over the world of their hardship or distress as a result of local, national or international disaster or by reason of social or economic circumstances.
Peter has had an invaluable impact through his commitment and dedication in supporting worldwide causes. Over the years, a considerable amount has been donated to various charities, including The Princes Trust (www.princes-trust.org.uk), Mencap (www.mencap.org.uk), Sense International (www.senseinternational.org.uk), British Red Cross Chile (www.redcross.org.uk), Marie Curie Cancer Care (www.mariecurie.org.uk), The Jaralam Trust as well as contributions towards the Tsunami disaster. Last year, through supporting the Caudwell Charity (caudwellchildren.com), we were able to pay for terminally ill children to go to Disney land.
With regards to other social entrepreneurial charity work, Peter has an aspiration to work hard and create enough wealth in order to donate 50% of his wealth to charitable causes.
He has solely set up Sardar Jagat Singh Charitable Trust in India (named after his late grandfather) which has successfully carried out 400 cataract operations from start to finish. The charity has sponsored 80 children starting from primary education in the hope that this sponsorship will lead to future scholarships. Furthermore he’s UK based contribution and donations are made through The Virdee Foundation (www.petervirdee.com).
This same charitable trust has provided support to Bharuch Welfare Hospital based in Gujarat which holds 700 beds. This Charity has made a positive contribution to the Gujarat crisis whereby 172 houses were built in the area following the earthquake in 2001.
Peter is a Patron of the NSPCC (www.nspcc.org.uk), in support of this charity he has contributed a substantial amount of money in helping to build Hargreaves Centre in Merseyside. Alongside this children’s charitable work, he has had a large amount of involvement in the Full Stop Appeal.
Through being an active supporter of the Guru Ram Das Project (www.grdp.co.uk) he has been able to sponsor The Women’s Alcohol Service at Foundation 66. This sponsorship will ensure that women who suffer from drug and alcohol abuse and those who are affected by domestic violence will continue to receive support for an additional year.
Peter has personally (through his own wealth) sponsored a number of other charities which are close to his heart including Variety Club (www.varietyclub.org.uk), Living the Dream Trust (www.livingthedreambandd.org.uk/), Leonard Cheshire Disability (www.lcdisability.org) and Cancer Research UK (www.cancerresearchuk.org). In his desire to assist disadvantaged children in the developing world he has helped to build St Paul’s Children Care Centre in Nairobi.
Currently he is he first Sikh Patron on the board of the English National Opera and sits on the UK philanthropy board of Coutts & Co Private bank UK, in recent times he has been invited to St James Palace to meet the Queen and was part of a select Sikh Delegation to welcome HRH The Prince of Wales at the Indian war memorial in Neuve-Chapelle in France. In 2010 Peter was given the honour of laying a wreath along side Baroness Thatcher to commemorate those who contributed to the 1st and 2nd World Wars. (www.bandshomes.co.uk).
Recent initiative and involvements also include supporting the Loomba Trust which supports widows around the world, Sankara eye foundation which has helped 730,000 regain sight to date, the Libya Foundation which raised over £500k in one night alone and Pratham a childrens education charity which rasied over £2.2m in one single event.
