Emeritus nursing professor Elizabeth Anionwu grew up in care and went on to be named one of the most influential nurses in the history of the NHS. Her career was distinguished by her pioneering work in the understanding of sickle cell disease. Following her retirement she spent nine years fundraising and campaigning for a statue to Mary Seacole. Elizabeth received a DBE in 2017, recently won the Pride of Britain Lifetime Awards, and appeared on Desert Island Discs.

Shyama Perera left school at 16 and got a job in the London Transport typing pool because she needed typing skills to be a journalist. At 17 she got her first break as a trainee and, at 23, was the youngest reporter ever taken on by the Guardian. A career in TV and radio followed, and she now writes. Shyama is Chair of SALIDAA, the South Asian Diaspora Literature and Arts Archive, and on the board of Westminster Kingsway College. An avid theatre fan, her favourite role in recent years has been as a member of the Olivier Awards panel, celebrating the best London productions of the season.