We at JAN Trust are honoured to have four new ambassadors on board: actress Bhavna Limbachia, comedian Shazia Mirza, comedian Mawaan Rizwan and netball player Geva Mentor!

Mawaan started his career on YouTube, where his comedy videos have been viewed over 19 million times. He recently starred in the BAFTA-winning BBC3 drama Murdered By My Father and is shooting a six-part ITV drama produced by Mammoth Screen, whcih aired this year. Mawaan is also becoming a favourite on the alternative comedy scene, with his unique hybrid of absurd stand-up and captivating physicality. He studied clowning with world renowned teacher, Philippe Gaulier, whose alumni include Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. Later this year, Mawaan will be on a UK stand-up tour with Simon Amstell.

Bhavna’s career has been incredibly versatile. In October 2010 she started her own unique business, designing and selling vintage clothes and accessories. Her media career includes TV Series, such as Doctors, Casualty and more recently for Mount Pleasant by Tiger Aspect Productions. Since 2012 Bhavna has played Alia Khan in BBC One’s Citizen Khan a family-based British sitcom produced by the BBC and created by Adil Ray. It is set in Sparkhill, Birmingham, described by its lead character, Pakistani Muslim Mr. Khan as “the capital of British Pakistan”. Warnings about how she would not have a regular income and almost certainly faced spells of unemployment initially made Bhavna choose a different path altogether. “I still loved being creative so I studied fashion design then went on to do a degree in costume design,” said Preston-born Bhavna, who lives with pals in Manchester when filming. Bhavna landed an agent and has never looked back, with Citizen Khan the show she was best-known for before Corrie came calling. In fact, she revealed she hasn’t had to choose between the two jobs. She has just finished filming the fifth series of the sitcom, fitting in work on that as well as Corrie.

Shazia Mirza is an award winning British stand-up comedian and writer. Shazia’s recent TV appearances include The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV), Graham Norton (BBC), Loose Women (ITV), The Late Late Show (RTE), Top Gear (BBC), and is a regular panellist on The Wright Stuff (Channel 5), The Frank Skinner Show (Absolute Radio), Shazia has also appeared on ‘Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls’on Channel 4. Her latest stand up show, ‘The Kardashians Made Me Do It’ was critically acclaimed all over the UK, US, Sweden, Ireland, and in Paris, and completed four sell out runs at London’s Soho Theatre, and 103 tour dates internationally.

Geva Mentor’s name is always mentioned when netball experts talk about the best defenders in International netball. The England international has played a significant role in building the English teams capacity to match it with world leaders in Australia and New Zealand. Selected for England at just 15 years of age in 2001, Mentor has built a career around athleticism, ability to read the play and a desire to do what’s needed to be the very best. 2017 was another stand out year for Mentor as she lead the Sunshine Coast Lightning to the Inaugural Suncorp Super Netball Premiership win against the newly formed franchise Giants Netball. Geva was thrilled to be voted Captain in an incredibly strong playing group and she lead by example all year with numerous best on court performances. The praise didn’t stop there though, Mentor went on to win the Sunshine Coast Lightning Player of the Year, the Suncorp Super Netball league’s MVP and she was also named in the league’s team of the year in the hotly contested position of GK.

We are delighted to have public figures who are willing to support the vital work that we do empowering women. To see more about what we do visit our website at www.jantrust.org.