Nomination for intrepid Sajjad

Sajjad Malik

A KIND-HEARTED business owner who helped refugees in Greece as well as flood victims in the UK has been nominated for a Pride in Oldham award.

Sajjad Malik, the boss of New Image Carpets on Honeywell Lane, Hathershaw, went out with the Oldham Aid 4 Refugees group to the Greek island of Lesbos last year to provide aid for refugees arriving on the shores of Greece.

First, the group sent a large container of vital supplies then flew out to Greece to distribute them.

After his appeal in the Chronicle last October, Sajjad said people started contacting him nationwide to ask how they could help.

Since then he has been focusing on how to help the bigger camps in Jordan and Lebanon, which have seen a high influx of refugees from war-torn Syria since the conflict began in 2011.

Sajjad was also part of a group that travelled from Oldham to Cumbria to help flood victims in the winter.

Throughout December, storms battered parts of the North of England.

In Cumbria, Sajjad and volunteers from Oldham charity Ghazali Trust worked alongside the local flood rescue service to help clear out people's homes.

One family in Carlisle decided to move back to Shaw after their home was ruined.

The volunteers offered to take their belongings in a van back to Oldham.

Sajjad (36) said: "Part of the reason for doing it was spiritual and to give something back.

"It gives my soul satisfaction because its not just about yourself. It's selfless.

"My family were very supportive. It was stressful because I was moving about. But they supported it."