A music entrepreneur who once said his main mission as a teenager was to get high has collected a national hero award for his remarkable story of achievement over adversity.
Yasin El Ashrafi said he was expelled from his Leicester school as a kid and fell in with the wrong crowd.
Now aged 41, he said the turning point came when his girlfriend became pregnant and he deleted all the numbers of his drug crowd.
When his son was born with severe cerebral palsy, he realised he had to become his own boss so that he could have the time to care for him.
He set up a community interest company and got a teaching qualification so that he could run projects teaching music and enterprise skills.
He also launched a recording studio where he works with up-and-coming urban, R&B and hip hop acts, and helps unemployed young people explore their talents – during the pandemic he provided internships to 14 people who lost their jobs due to Covid-19.
His recording studio and music education business is called HQ CAN (Creative Arts Network) and provides music, events and arts projects across the Midlands from its base in Charles Street, Leicester.
Yasin has been named joint winner of this year’s O2 Everyday Heroes awards, which celebrate individuals and businesses who have made a difference to their local community in the last year.
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The other 2021 winner was Emma Rigby, who runs Enfield-based Love Your Doorstep, a community platform where people could share information about ‘what’s going on’ and ‘where to find things’ locally.
The pair were picked by a public vote and a panel of experts including multi-award-winning designer and former BBC Dragon Kelly Hoppen CBE.
O2 rewarded both winners with £5,000 in cash to help support their businesses.
Yasin was able to support young musicians over the last year despite Leicester being placed in heightened restrictions for much of the time because of its higher rates of Covid-19.
He said: “It’s been a hard year for everyone in the team as we’ve conquered technology, lockdown and disconnection.
“Technology has proved invaluable in ensuring we are able to continue delivering quality support and care to the most disconnected in our community and winning the £5,000 means we’re now able to secure even more equipment for our young creatives to continue doing what they love.”
Kelly Hoppen said: “It’s been a real joy hearing the stories of these amazing business leaders who are so committed to supporting the community around them.
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“The fact there are two joint winners shows just how difficult judging the superb finalists’ entries was! Emma and Yasin couldn’t be more worthy of the honour.
“Emma’s tenacity, drive and passion is clear. She was determined in her mission to keep the community supplied with food and medication, and what was especially great to hear was the sheer volume of volunteers who came forward at such speed.
“Equally, Yasin was instrumental in keeping the arts accessible to the young people of the Midlands.
“His company brought so many people together and helped provide a space for creatives at a time that this industry was somewhat neglected.”
Fellow judge Jo Bertram, who is the managing director of business & wholesale at Virgin Media O2, said: “Small business leaders really are the backbone of local communities around the country so to hear of their determination and motivation to keep serving their local customers is heart-warming.
“Emma and Yasin are examples of individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, utilising technology in order to ensure they’re offering the best level of support.
“They show how a sense of community really has been a lifeline for many of us.”