Where’re your roots?
I grew up in London and Bath, but my Dad grew up on Rodborough Common. My grandad was a local dentist and a Stroud Town councillor – he was responsible for an innovative scheme where the council’s trucks were run on methane from the sewage plant at Stonehouse! It didn’t last long, explosion risk…
What’s home?
I live in Minchinhampton with my family, just outside the town centre.
What’s work?
I’m a chartered accountant by background, but I’m now a district and county councillor for Minchinhampton, two busy but really rewarding roles. I also chair SDC’s Environment Committee, which means I’m very involved in the district’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030.
What do you do, when you’re not doing Minch CAN?
In my spare time I write short fiction, keep bees and am the finance governor for a local primary school.
Why did you join Minch CAN?
I joined Minch CAN because climate change scares me, but I sleep better when I’m working on the solutions.
What are your priorities?
My priority is to help everyone do the easy things (changing your energy supplier to a renewable one, for example), and to make sure that we’re forming a stronger, more resilient community as we go.
What’s the CANniest thing you do?
I don’t mow my lawn between late April and September. Because of our thin soil, it is a wildflower haven and my children love lying in it, watching the bees.
What’s your climate confession?
Even though I worked (until recently) for a plastic pollution campaign group, my supermarket shop is not always plastic free – sometimes life (and family!) get in the way, and sometimes the task can feel overwhelming. But tomorrow is another day, and every small change helps. I like the words of American historian and social thinker, Howard Zinn: “We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”
