Why did you become a Councillor?
Becoming a Parish Councillor provides me with a unique opportunity to give back and support the village that has been my home for the past 44 years. I brought up my family here and now also have my daughter, son in law and three grandchildren living in the village. Now retired, I feel I have the relevant skills as well as the time available to contribute to our community.
What do you like most about Wylam?
Wylam has a great mix of caring people who are generous in giving their time and support to their neighbours – consequently it is a vibrant and flourishing village community for all age groups. There is a wide range of activities, clubs and societies available and we are very lucky to enjoy a lovely natural environment with a rich historical heritage. Additionally there is a good range of thriving shops and services which benefit us all.
What do you hope to achieve as a Councillor?
The development of a neighbourhood plan is an exciting opportunity to sustain, improve the wellbeing and enhance the lives of everyone in our community. This plan will set out a vision and practical steps for delivering local services. I hope that I can play a part in helping our community engage in the development of new services whilst bringing them to fruition. I am keen to encourage greater community involvement so that everyone feels welcome and supported and able to continue to enhance our village environment.
Tell us about yourself?
Now retired, I was previously a Newcastle special school headteacher before becoming Executive Headteacher of Westminster Special Schools in London. Key to these roles were developing and maintaining good interpersonal skills and facilitating the ideas and valuable contributions of others to build very successful schools. Latterly, as CEO of two multimillion pound Charitable Foundations, I was responsible for major grant applications, project development and service delivery.
Throughout my career, I have been responsible for numerous major service and building projects which required effective strategic planning, legal and financial skills. I would hope to draw on all of these skills to work effectively as a member of the Parish Council team.
My previous work required that I work closely with families, local authority services and officers and I look forward to making a positive contribution to our Parish Council.