I chose to raise my family in the Vale of Glamorgan, moving to Southerndown almost seventeen years ago.

Full statement

During those seventeen years I have gotten to know lots of local people and I’ve gained an understanding of the issues that matter to these people.

Like many others, I thought this would be a good place to raise a family and it is, although I would like to see a youth club established to give our young people a place to meet when the beach, the bus-shelter and the pub are not an option. Sport also provides children (and adults) with a focus and my involvement with two local cricket clubs has been long-standing.

The cricket field and pavilion in Southerndown were in danger of serious neglect, if not a change of use or development, so we banded together in the village and built a partnership with Great Western Cricket Club who have now made Southerndown their home. League cricket is played in the village every Saturday throughout the season and local children can get their first taste of the sport here. Every September, we hold a Three Villages Fun Day on the field, bringing the community together.

The other cricket club in the patch is Vale Cricket Club in Corntown where I am a board member. The club has restructured as a Community Benefit Society and would like to offer the communities it serves an excellent year-round leisure facility. Currently we run junior and senior sides including a women’s and girls’ soft ball cricket section. We also offer children day-time Cricket Camps during the school holidays, with free places available to those in receipt of free school meals.

I believe that everyone should have access to opportunities like these regardless of their means. That is why I would like to work as a local councillor, to try and make sure that the local authority provides everyone with the amenities and services they need, especially when they can’t afford to pay themselves. I want everyone to be able to lead happy and healthy lives in the Vale, enjoying the best education, work and leisure opportunities available.

Environmental issues will become increasingly important in everything we do as individuals and as a council, as climate change is already threatening to up-end our way of life. If elected, I will do what I can as a councillor to keep climate change on the agenda. Supporting local businesses and improving services and amenities close-to-home mean that people won’t have to travel further afield, and should create more jobs in the locality too, in turn bringing environmental and community benefits.

I am a trained journalist and worked in broadcasting for many years. I learnt how to tell a story but also, how to give people the opportunity to tell their own stories. I am still keen to listen to people’s stories and I’m hoping that if elected, as well as listening, I will also be able to help people who need help.