On leaving school I was employed as a Student Nursery Nurse by Staffordshire County Council where I achieved the National Nursery Examination Board NNEB certificate. At the great age of 18 I left home and went to live and work as a nanny in Athens. On returning to England I became a residential child care officer with Staffordshire County Council in a children’s home, then in a private sector residential school for challenging students where I completed the 'in-service certificate'.

I joined Shropshire Council as a social work assistant in 1981. I held a busy generic case load, set up and ran a day centre for older people, an after school and holiday club and a play group for under 5s. I was the social work link for the community hospitals, a large GP practice and a family advice centre. I qualified as a social worker in 1992, specialising in adult services, community care and training and development. This led me to my role in training and development, initially employed to implement the Community Care Act. I gained a City and Guilds level 4 teacher's certificate in further and adult education. I'm now the Joint Training manager leading on the delivery of our comprehensive training programme together with our partners. Our aim is to make learning accessible to all health and care workers in Shropshire to improve the experience of care and health support for the citizens of Shropshire. Here I remain!

I was born in Market Drayton, moved to Babbinswood near Oswestry then to Stoke on Trent, before making my home back in Shropshire. I’m married with two lovely sons, equally lovely daughters-in-law and five fab grandchildren…! I like to swim, walk, garden, holiday and escape to the coast whenever possible.