Shaheen, who moved to the UK in 1972, started voluntary work there in 1979.

Originally trained as an architect, Shaheen gave up work in architecture following the birth of her son and moved into local government in 1985.She joined the Waltham Forest Social Services in 1990.

Earlier, she was involved in setting up mother language teaching schools in Islington, Hackney and Lewisham. She has also campaigned for the introduction of mother language teaching (Bengali) in mainstream schools.

Says Shaheen: "I have worked with various ethnic minority communities and disadvantaged groups and tried to empower them and contribute towards creating a harmonious society and promote community relations in every sphere."