Nabeela was born and raised in High Wycombe, the eldest child of Pakistani immigrants who came to the UK determined to build a secure and positive future for their family.
Her father worked incredibly hard, producing furniture for restaurants and other businesses across the UK, while her mother was a machinist and devoted homemaker, raising the family with strong cultural and traditional values plus gratitude, resilience and the importance of remaining positive even when life becomes difficult.
After a school headteacher claimed she would “never achieve anything,” she resolved to break some social and political barriers. She balanced intense personal trials - including the loss of her father, racist abuse, and the challenge of her husband becoming seriously unwell with bipolar disorder, impacting the whole family and requiring her to become his carer, whilst bringing up three children.
In 2007, she co-founded Dosti, a multicultural support group designed to engage, educate and empower local women. The group delivers vital community services, including Bollywood exercise classes, arts and crafts, helping to fill in forms and occasional trips to places like Windsor Castle. It meets at High Wycombe Library every Tuesday, 10.30 - 12 noon.
In nearly two decades, Dosti has helped hundreds of women build confidence and independence, directly challenging traditional gender limitations and proving that women can lead, inspire, and thrive in the wider world.
Nabeela has just completed 20 years of service as a Justice of Peace/Magistrate as only the second Muslim female on the High Wycombe Bench. She is also the first Muslim female to be a trustee of an international charity, Islamic Help.
In 2021, Nabeela entered local politics and was elected to Buckinghamshire Council, and she later had the honour of serving for one year (in 2022-23) as Deputy Mayor of High Wycombe, becoming the first Muslim woman from the local Pakistani community to hold that position.
Nabeela now also works full-time for the NHS as Community Health & Well-Being Worker.
Her passion is to help people who sometimes feel that their voices are not heard, and to use her own life experiences to better understand and support others.
High Wycombe gave Nabeela’s parents the opportunity to build a life and raise their family, and being able to give something back to the town where she was born and raised remains one of the greatest privileges of her life.
Her life philosophy: work hard, remain grateful, help others where you can and never allow difficult circumstances stop you from moving forward.