Blue plaque honours Batook Pandya Director of SARI

The blue plaque marks Batook Pandya's dedication to fighting for equality for all

A blue plaque marking the work of a leading campaigner against racial intolerance and discrimination in Bristol has been unveiled.

Batook Pandya MBE founded the charity Stand Against Racism and Inequality (SARI) in 1988.

Mr Pandya came to Britain from Kenya in 1963 when he was 17 and initially worked as an engineer for British Aerospace. He died in 2014.

The plaque is outside the charity's offices in Portland Square.

Gordon Young of Bristol Civic Society said the plaque will serve to "honour" Mr Pandya as an individual who made "an important contribution to our city".

Esther Deans MBE, Chair of SARI said Mr Pandya was a "tireless campaigner for positive race relations".

"We are extremely proud that his efforts will now go down in Bristol's history for our future generations to celebrate," she said.

The plaque has been unveiled outside SARI's offices in Portland Square

Bristol Mayor, George Ferguson described Mr Pandya as "a giant in Bristol public life - with a passion for fairness and cultural integration".

SARI is run by and for victims of racial harassment or attack and describes itself as "an autonomous user-led charity".

The charity now has 20 members of staff and deals with almost 400 cases each year.