It’s work stitched from the threads of her own story: born and raised in England to Hindu‑Punjabi parents from northern India, Danita is acutely aware of the difficulties of balancing different cultural heritages. “I grew up with a bit of an identity crisis,” she admits. “I didn’t always know where I fit in, or where I belonged.”
Law was her first calling. After earning a Master’s in International Human Rights, Danita joined a firm representing survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. Five years of listening to families who had lost everything - homes, histories, loved ones- left her galvanised by their resilience, but emotionally exhausted. So she paused, travelled, and asked herself what work could honour both her legal training and her people-centred heart. Equity, diversity and inclusion beckoned.
“EDI really called to me,” Danita says. “I’m a people person, so the kind of work you do – reaching out to communities and connecting with people – resonated with my personality. It felt like the right step.”
So – what is EDI, in a nutshell? Danita explains.
“It’s about raising understanding - about amplifying the voices that often don’t get the chance to be heard and giving everyone the chance to feel equally seen and valued. But it’s also about changing people’s attitudes; about remaining open-hearted and open-minded. Sometimes, it’s that simple.”
Danita expected a steep learning curve when she arrived at ellenor, a hospice charity that cares for people with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses across North Kent and Bexley. What she discovered was a world few in her own community understood. “In many households, hospices are still taboo,” she says. “Older generations feel duty‑bound to look after their own; younger ones simply don’t know what hospices do.” Even Danita herself had walked past ellenor’s Swanscombe charity shop unaware of the full breadth of care it helps fund.
But ingrained attitudes and preconceptions can be hard to shift – so where to start?
Every fortnight, she visits the Guru Nanak Darbar Wellbeing Centre to volunteer, spending time with the elder members of the community. “It’s the highlight of my week,” Danita says. “I love connecting with people and seeing them stay active through games and light exercise - enjoying each other’s company instead of being at home on their own. From time to time, I also give talks about ellenor’s services, like nursing clinics and bereavement counselling, to help break down the barriers of understanding that still surround hospice care.”
Inside ellenor’s walls, Danita is equally determined to make EDI something everyone can get on board with. Together with colleague Anna Willson, she has launched the FREDIE initiative - Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement - a twelve-month programme of surveys, focus groups and action planning designed to show our commitment to transforming the way we work. “Our hope is to gain the Nationally recognised Investors in Diversity accreditation for ellenor, which will be a huge achievement for us.”
As Danita and Anna’s work continues to flourish at ellenor, so do the exciting opportunities it ushers in. That might be training for staff around neurodiversity or partnering with community advocates like Martin “Poof Daddy” Ward: a gay Irish Traveller and inclusivity advocate whose Lunch ’n’ Learn session filled the hospice café recently. What thrills Danita most is the turnout. “You can feel when people genuinely want to be in the room: they want to listen, they’re interested, and they’re eager to know how they can do better or learn more.”
