City honours for cardiologist and carnival founder

A cardiologist and the founder of Leicester's Caribbean Carnival have been awarded one of the city's highest civic honours.

Prof Sir Nilesh Samani, a cardiologist and researcher, and Elvy Morton, the founder of the Leicester Caribbean Carnival, were given the City of Leicester Award on Tuesday by deputy Lord Mayor Bhupen Dave.

Leicester City Council said the award recognised people whose achievements have had a positive impact on the city, and who have been a source of inspiration to its residents.

Dave said it was a "huge honour" to recognise the contributions made to the city by two "tremendous advocates" for Leicester.

The council said Samani was born in Kenya and moved to the UK with his family in 1971, settling in Leicester. He was part of the first intake of medical students in the new Leicester Medical School in 1975 and graduated in 1981 with distinction.

He went on to become a consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital in 1993, and later took up the post of British Heart Foundation chair in cardiology in 2003.

The council said he received a platinum clinical excellence award from the NHS and was knighted for his services to medicine in 2015.

He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire in 2008, and was nominated for the City of Leicester award by the late Manjula Sood MBE.

Elvy Morton was born on the Caribbean island of Nevis before arriving in the UK as a 23-year-old nurse as part of the Windrush generation in 1958.

Throughout her life, the council said Morton had been a champion for the black community in Leicester and following racial tensions in the city, Morton founded the Leicester Caribbean Carnival.

The first carnival held in Leicester was in August 1985 and for many years it was the largest UK Caribbean carnival outside London.

Dave said: "It is a huge honour to be able to recognise the contributions made to our local community by these two leading lights

"Both have been tremendous advocates for Leicester over many years and have made a lasting and positive impact on the lives of so many people who live here and I am delighted that they have received this award."

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