Rani Morocroft MBE, was the youngest of four daughters of Dodwell Cooray, a Sri Lankan diplomat and Anna Koh a Chinese film star. She was born in a Thai palace in 1950 while her father was writing the first tourist brochure for the royal family. Her own background was one of privilege, wealth, servants and endless parties and holidays. She recalls dancing and etiquette lessons at 5 in Sri Lanka, like other girls of her caste she was groomed to look pretty, amusing and marry well. Her father, who joined Sri Lanka’s civil service on Independence in 1948, was posted to embassies in London,Washington, New York as Press Secretary.

Everything changed when he was recalled to Sri Lanka. The nationalist Buddhist government made it clear a Christian, English only     Head of Information was not wanted. So, for his daughter’s education and future they left for the UK with not much more than the clothes they were wearing, and £10 each which was all they were allowed to take with them. Rani skips over the racism, the sacrifices her parents made to support the family, scrubbing floors, selling ice cream in a cinema, factory work, cleaning toilets. Rani married had two sons and had a 32year career in the British Civil Service (CS) which included working for King Charles’s business charity, and as PA to a Baroness in the House of Lords. She set up UK’s first staff Race Group in the CS , was made Country champion for education and skills to Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami which killed nearly 228,000 people in just 7 hours. She wasawarded the British Empire (MBE) from the Queen in 2001.

Rani has written cookery books with her sister, run a successful

chain of city restaurants, sold a range of pickles spice mixes in supermarkets and appeared in her own TV series and on national TV as a celebrity chef. She set up charities, or was a trustee addressing youth violence, knife crime, supporting families.

Retired, she is busier than ever runs a social enterprise empowering women and children, fights climate change, poverty hunger and advocating for the end of wars and fossil fuels. She is a Board member for the Windrush Housing association and holds posts in councils representing people of colour.