April Preston grew up in a council house in Stockport with her two deaf and disabled parents.

Full statement

At the age of 10 she went into care under the local authority and now uses these life-experiences to forward progressive policy and thinking within the Liberal Democrats, focusing on the representation of those in challenging circumstances.

As a young girl she witnessed the devastating outcomes which comes from the mishandling of disability, mental health, and is determined to stop this happening to the next generation. She strives to support any person feeling ignored or alienated by the state.

She seeks to reach out to marginalised groups and young people who often go disregarded in politics such as care leavers, those with complex educational needs and LGBTQ+ people.

April is a Dachshund and indie pop enthusiast, and has been a part-time DJ on and off since she was 16, where her first event was a fundraiser for the Christie.

As a keen feminist, she has chaired events and mentored other women in the Liberal Democrats, both in Manchester and across the country. She campaigns against the other party's tokenistic approach to the needs of women and strives to form policy which genuinely improves lives.

April is working to build a future in which the Liberal Democrats are the real alternative to a lazy Labour party and the cut-focussed Conservative party. She campaigned to remain in the EU and is concerned that a hard Brexit will be a threat to the least-well of people in Manchester.