A FORMER Mayor of Southampton has been nominated for a prestigious award.

Dr Parvin Damani MBE, who was the city’s first Muslim woman councillor and mayor, has been nominated for an accolade at The Muslims News Awards for Excellence.

The ceremony, which will take place on Monday, is the twelfth to take place and will celebrate the contribution of British Muslims to society.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah is also on the shortlist for the awards, which will be held in London.

Dr Damani has been nominated for the Alija Izetbegovic award for good citizenship, named after the first president of Bosnia- Herzegovina. She came to the UK from Kenya in 1986 and settled in Southampton. She worked in the NHS in obstetrics and gynaecology, and was first elected as a city councillor in 1996 before becoming mayor in 2003.

Dr Damani was a founding member of the Muslim Council of Southampton and the Southampton Council of Faiths, and is currently the chairman of the Southampton Muslim Women Network.

She was recognised for her contributions to society by being given an MBE in 2001, and is currently a senior public health practitioner at the city council.