Manjula Sood

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Manjula Sood arrived in the UK in 1970 and has been living in Leicester since. She became the first female Asian Primary school teacher in Leicester,^[1] where she taught for almost twenty years before retiring on medical grounds due to ill health. During her time as a teacher, she was instrumental in introducing multiculturalism in the education sector and her services were recognised which was the reason for the late Secretary of Education Sir Keith Joseph visiting her class.

Manjula entered politics through tragic circumstances. Her husband, the late Councillor Paul Sood, was one of the first elected County councillors in the UK in 1982 and served Leicester for almost 14 years before his untimely death in 1996. Manjula stood at Paul’s by-election seat and won with an impressive majority and never looked back.

She faced many challenges as she was new to politics and at the same time had to support her two children and elderly mother with her ill heath. She quickly adapted and has flourished and achieved a vast number or accolades.

In 2003 she was investigated by the police for collecting postal votes in person from voters,^[2] but was cleared of any breach of electoral law.^[3]

1 Education
2 Awards and Achievements
3 Current Held Positions
4 Initiatives Championed
5 Benchmarks
6 Positions Held
7 Community and other Activities involved with
8 References

[edit] Education

Holds a BA and MA (with distinction)
Worked on a high profile Rural Health research project for the John Hopkins University of Baltimore in 1967 as part of a PhD
Completed Post graduate teaching at Leicester University

[edit] Awards and Achievements

Leicestershire and Rutland Women of the Year Award 2005, the first Asian women to receive the award
Nominated for the High Bailiff of Leicester from May 2007
Labour Party Merit Award Winner for contribution to the Labour Party 2004. The first Asian women to do so
Red Hot Curry’s top 300 most influential Asian Women in the UK 2002
Triangular Media Group Global Award for outstanding contribution to local politics 2006^[4]
Awarded an Honorary award by LABA (Leicestershire Asian Business Association) for assistance to small businesses

[edit] Current Held Positions

Trustee and an Executive Director for the Leicester Council of Faiths, which promotes a better understanding among faith communities^[5]
Vice Chair and Women’s Officer for Constituency Labour Party (CLP)
A key member of Asian Refuge Shelter, assisting Asian women going through turmoil in their private life
Member of the Afro Caribbean Working Party
Member of the Standard and Audit Committee of Leicester City Council, safeguarding , the Audit Commission’s Code of Conduct, which elected members of the council, and council officials must abide by
Member of Children and Young Persons scrutiny committee
Trustee for the North Memorial Homes in Leicester, a charity created for war veterans
Vice Chair and Public Relations officer for a charity called Fibromyalgia for which the Minster of Health, Rt. Honourable Patricia Hewitt is the Patron
Active member of the Leicester Domestic Violence forum
Active member of the Older People Forum where she raises the political profile of older people, locally and nationally
Member of the Faith Regeneration Advisory Group, actively engaged with developing a multi faith centre in Leicester
Member on the Inter Faith Network UK since 1995
Chair of numerous Mental Health regional conferences and member CSIP (Department of Health Care Services Improvement Partnership)

[edit] Initiatives Championed

Organiser for liaising with the Indian High Commission to come to Leicester on a monthly basis to issue Visas
Chair of Naarilets, an organisation solely created with a vision to enhance the skills and experience of ethnic minority women in Leicester encouraging them to be more immersed in commerce

[edit] Benchmarks

The first female Asian primary school teacher in Leicester in 1973
Currently Leicester City’s only female Asian elected Councillor, a position held since 1996
Has partaken in the last three International Women's Day, speaking to large audiences on the challenges and barriers women face in society and the progress they have thus made since the turn of the last century

[edit] Positions Held

Non Executive Director at the Glenfield Hospital for over three years from 1998 to 2001 for the Leicester NHS Trust
Vice Chair of Equal Opportunities, Education and Social Services for Leicester City Council
Chaired Leicester City Council’s Health Commission
Governor for Leicester College of Further Education, as the only female ethnic minority governor, she vigorously worked with the Principle, the Governing body and the Executive to make certain equal opportunity policies were in place and being applied
Governor for the Trinity Hospital in Leicester, she was primarily responsible for raising concerns and managing the needs of elderly residents as well as ensuring spending was within the assigned budget

[edit] Community and other Activities involved with

Mentors numerous children and teenagers encouraging them to overcome anxieties and fears and to deal with their academia related issues
Interviewed the Chancellor of the Exchequer The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP on behalf of the Government and The New Labour Party.
Introduced to Prince Charles as one of the best Primary School teachers in Leicester.
Selected to carry The Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay during the Commonwealth games in 2002
The Late Rt Hon Sir Keith Joseph MP & Education Secretary entered my class and met the students
Part of many general election and local election campaigns
As a regular fund raiser, she managed to raise enough funds to donate a Fluid Warmer cabinet in the Accident and Emergency Unit at Leicester Royal Infirmary in 2001
Contributor for the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London
Contributor for LOROS, a Hospice in Leicester
Sponsor’s children in India via Action Aid and Sai Organisation
Vigorously involved with raising the awareness of Mental Health
Member of Good Values Group, promoting core Human values in the community
Vigorously involved in Cultural Exchanges with faith centres
Holds dedicated weekly advice surgeries for constituents