British sign language silver and Mayor of Solihull Meeting with key figures of the community

By Cameron Wagg

On Tuesday, 23rd April, I was invited to attend a meeting with Mayor Shahin Ashraf MBE of Solihull, with the charity British Sign Language Silver. This was to give BSL Silver and its founder, Shakila “Silver” Kosar an opportunity to discuss their work and learn more about what the Mayor does in her role.

Shakila began learning sign language when she was told by doctors that her son would be born profoundly deaf, as she wanted to communicate with him. After almost two decades of teaching BSL, Shakila founded BSL Silver. Sign language classes can be expensive, with many people unable to afford them. BSL Silver was created to combat this, as they offer free and affordable courses. Shakila believes that everyone deserves the right to learn this language.

Fourteen members of BSL Silver attended the meeting with the Mayor, both staff and students. I was invited to join them after I interviewed Shakila’s daughter, Hanna, about their workIt was an incredible opportunity to learn how local Government works, and to see BSL Silver be given the platform that their hard work deserves.

Group photo with Shahin Ashraf of British sign language silver and Shahin Ashraf Mbe

When we first met the Mayor, she greeted us all one by one. We then sat down in a circle to drink tea and chat. During our time, we learned that Shahin is the first Muslim to be the Mayor of Solihull.

As Shahin spoke, Shakila signed for one of her deaf colleagues. It was extremely impressive to see how quickly she could do so.

The Mayor proceeded to give us some insight into her work meeting with the local community. She told us a bit about all of the interesting local people she gets to meet, ranging from 4-year-olds to citizens who are over 100.

We learned how she interacts uniquely depending on who she is accompanied by. With children, she uses a Russian doll to capture their attention and plays games with them. Whilst with senior citizens, however, she has danced with them, even learning the steps to the Waltz to dance with a man who was 100 years-old.

She explained this was why she loved her job. When asked what her favourite part of her work was, she explained: “Meeting people like you guys.”

Finishing our tea, we were invited to try on Mayoral robes and to sign our names in the Guest Book, marking BSL Silver down as a part of Solihull Council history.

Pictured: Shakila Kosar of British sign language silver

Shakila, Hanna and all the volunteers at BSL Silver’s work is truly commendable. It was an honour to witness them be recognised by the Local Authority for all the hard work they do in supporting the deaf community and in bridging the gap between the deaf and hearing communities. I have zero doubt in calling Shakila a modern-day hero.

We were then led into the Council room, where all decisions made by the Mayor and Local Authority are made. Above the entrance to the room hangs a portrait of King Charles. Mayor Shahin explained how she examines a 250-page document, which holds every topic they cover, from bins to Council Tax.

We were then allowed to look around and ask the Mayor questions about what her role entails. She opened up to us about her background and how she grew up.

Mayor Shahin grew up poor and struggled as a child. She was a carer for her father, and at only 12, she was forced to work in a factory to afford the taxi fares to visit him; she consequently missed a considerable amount of school.

Despite her young age, this was when her entrepreneurial work began, in the form of her first business. Shahin used to fill out DSS forms for her local neighbourhood, earning 25p per form. At one point, there was a family of 3 or 4 brothers who only wanted ‘that little girl’ to do their forms for them.

A humanitarian, Shahin has worked globally to support local communities, working with charities such as Islamic Relief UK. Her work has taken her around the globe, including to countries such as Bosnia and America.

The epitome of selflessness, Shahin’s story is an inspiration of what true entrepreneurial spirit, hard work, and selfless humanitarianism looks like. Mayor Shahin Ashraf has dedicated her life to making a positive impact both globally and locally, and continues to do so in her work as Mayor of Solihull.