A SPECIAL event in London on May 23 will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the election of the Mitcheldean Asha Centre founder Zerbanoo Gifford to Harrow Council.

The Women's Library will host "The Z Factor", a special exhibition and event to mark what is regarded as an historic anniversary in British women's politics.

On May 6 in 1982 Zerbanoo fought off racist threats from the BNP and went on to take a safe Conservative seat in Harrow for the Liberal Party.

The following year, in 1983, she stood for parliament in Hertsmere against the then chairman of the Conservative Party, Cecil Parkinson, in what was considered an unwinnable seat and pushed Labour into third place.

Her campaign opened up parliamentary politics for Asian women. She went on to be the first non-white woman to be elected onto the governing body of any political party in Britain and chaired the Community Relations Panel and was on the Advisory Committee on Race Relations for the then Home Secretary, Jack Straw.

Zerbanoo is now the director of the charity she founded to help young people, the Asha Centre near Mitcheldean. The Centre stages ground-breaking arts and environmental based leadership training courses, bringing together young people from all over the world, but especially from conflict zones.

The Z Factor exhibition will feature not only Zerbanoo's fascinating life but also look at many prominent members of her Zoroastrian community who have helped to transform the modern world, including rock star, Freddie Mercury, conductor Zubin Mehta and industrialist, Ratan Tata.

The guest of honour will be Baroness Jan Royall of Blaisdon, the former leader of the House of Lords.