The first Asian woman to be named Mayor of Ealing plans to bring all people in the borough together.

A ceremony was held at the town hall on Tuesday night (May 12) to announce Greenford Broadway councillor, Harbhajan Kaur Dheer, as the new Mayor, taking over from Tej Ram Bagha.

Mrs Dheer, wife of deputy leader of the council Ranjit Dheer and Ealing resident for 35 years, said: "I want to represent the borough, to be non-political, to create community cohesion, and to bring people together.

"I will support four charities: Homestart, Age Link, Dementia UK, and Save the Asian Elephant. Dementia is increasing in our borough in all ages.

"It's a privilege to be Mayor and to work with all communities. I struggled in my early life to establish myself in this country so I want to give back to it."

Mrs Dheer came to Britain in 1975 and got a social sciences degree from Kingston University, before working as mental health professional in Surrey County Council until 2013.

She said she would like to use her knowledge to get funding for mental health charities in Ealing.

The new Mayor became a councillor in 2010 and has represented Ealing Council in civic delegations to Poland, France, Germany and Nepal.

She is one of the community leaders in the borough who founded the Ealing Kathmandu Friendship Association and visited Kathmandu to promote understanding between the two cities.

During her first term as councillor, she served as a chair of two scrutiny panels looking at school travel issues affecting the safety of our children, and the business and economic growth agenda.

She accepts the advances made in equality for women but believes large numbers of Asian and African women still suffer in silence, especially those who come from non European countries.

Mrs Dheer is proud of her Indian heritage and visits her village in Punjab regularly, but she also appreciates the opportunities available to everybody in Britain.

She is a mother of two children, a son and a daughter, and became a grandmother in January.