I have a strong connection to this area having been christened at St Nicholas Church in Pyrford, in the 1960’s. My grandparents lived along Coldharbour Road and I have very fond memories of going to the Pyrford Flower Show every summer with my parents and grandparents. I have lived in the Woking South East Surrey County Council Division (covering Pyrford, Mount Hermon East and Old Woking) for over 30 years.
I have a BSc in Psychology and later gained a Master’s in Education. I have been fortunate enough to have worked across a broad range of educational settings, including lecturing at two universities, conducting a research project at a pupil referral unit, and teaching at a primary school and nursery. Locally, I taught A level psychology at Woking College part-time for 11 years. Currently I am a school inspector and school improvement advisor. I also conduct occasional research projects in education linked with various universities including Oxford. In my spare time I enjoy music, DIY and gardening. I have belonged to the Royal Horticultural Society for many years, and regularly visit Wisley.
In the 1980’s I was living in the Midlands, and had my wonderful son, who is now 34. A little over two years later my husband died of cancer and the following day my father died. Suddenly, my life was turned upside down, I was a young widow with a 2-year-old! Luckily, I was very close to my mum and in 1990 we moved back to Surrey. I think it was then that I started to be interested in politics, I realised that life isn’t fair and that I wanted to help other people. I have been lucky enough to have represented this area at Surrey County Council since 2009. I find the most rewarding aspects are being a listening ear to residents and moving issues along on their behalf. I don’t always succeed at first, but I am very persistent.
