I am a born and bred Lancastrian and am very proud of my birthplace, Heysham. We lived in the West End of Morecambe until I was five years old when we moved to Lancaster and I started school at Ryelands County Primary School. I loved school and really enjoyed a return visit in 1998 when I was chair of the County Council. I felt as many adults do that the buildings were much smaller but it brought back many happy memories.
From Primary School I moved on to the Girls' Grammar School where I was often compared unfavourably to my older sister who was two years ahead of me. I am afraid I was a bit too talkative and certainly trouble often seemed to find me, although I never intentionally looked for it.
After A levels and secretarial training at the Lancaster and Morecambe College, I joined the Morecambe Visitor as a trainee reporter and discovered the "joys" of Council meetings from the press benches. Other reporting and feature writing jobs took me to Devon and Cornwall before Lancashire drew me back.
Married with four daughters, I became involved with lots of community organisations in my village of Crawshawbooth and it was the need for a centre that led me to stand for the County Council in 1985. Just over four years after my election, the Village Centre, youth and community centre, opened and that remains one of my proudest achievements to this day. It certainly proved to me that people can make a difference through the democratic process.
I have been a County Councillor ever since and have been involved in policy making across the full range of the Council Services which include education, social care, planning and the environment, roads and transport, arts and culture and public protection and advice services.
My position now is that of Leader of the Council which means that I chair the Cabinet. The ten Cabinet members are responsible for day to day decision making and make recommendations on policy, strategy and budget issues to the full County Council.
I don't believe that anyone goes into local politics for reward but it is always nice to have your contribution recognised. I was thrilled to be awarded the CBE in the New Year's Honours List and am very much looking forward to attending the Investiture at Buckingham Palace in July. The reaction, particularly of my family to the news was wonderful and I will be taking my sister, one of my daughters and my grand-daughter to London with me.
Given that journalists and politicians are said to be two of the most disliked occupations, I always blame the Youth and Community Service for their part in my downfall. I also have huge sympathy for Estate Agents who are similarly hated.
Seriously, young people and education have become two major interests for me through my Council work. I have served as a governor of a number of schools, including Crawshawbooth County Primary School and Alder Grange Community and Technology College where my daughters and grand-daughter have been fortunate enough to be pupils.
Now, sad to say, my diary does not allow me to continue as a school governor but it is a role I would love to take up again in the future and would recommend to anyone with an interest in education.
Outside my Council work ( which does take up more hours than a normal working week) I love spending my time with family and friends. I am particularly boring on the subject of my grand-daughter Rebecca, aged 16, and my grand-son, Toby, who despite being born in Birmingham has already received his first Burnley FC strip. My new grandson Dylan was born on January 31st in Burnley General Hospital and is proudly sporting a Burnley baby-gro. Burnley, by the way, are my other lifelong commitment.
