A GOVERNOR at a Worcester college has received a national award for professional excellence at a glitzy ceremony in Birmingham.

Haseena Lockhat, on the board of governors at University College Worcester, was one of seven Asian professionals to win recognition in the Lloyds TSB Asian Jewel Awards.

Glamour

The accolades, which recognise achievements by Asian people in the Midlands, were handed out during a glamorous evening at Birmingham's Hilton Metropole Hotel.

Dr Lockhat was delighted to be nominated and surprised to win one of the coveted awards.

"It was a fantastic evening and I'm thrilled to bits with the outcome. The competition was extremely tough," she said.

Professor David Green, principal at the Henwick Grove college, hailed the award as "excellent news".

"This is a very well deserved accolade for a very hard working and extremely valuable member of our board. We couldn't be more pleased for her," he said.

Dr Lockhat is a Child Clinical Psychologist working in the NHS in Kidderminster and has spent the past six years working with ethnic communities in England.

She is also a member of the Government's Race Equality Advisory Panel, serves on the Community Cohesion Panel and is the Home Secretary's appointee on the National Probation Service (West Mercia) Board.