About Me

Other education & experience

Bsc in Sociology awarded by The University of Surrey.

MSc in Social Research Methods awarded by The University of Surrey.

Research Executive at Market & Opinion Research International (MORI) for 2 years after completing my MSc.

Research Manager for Essex Training & Enterprise Council (Essex TEC) and then Learning & Skills Council, Essex (LSC, Essex).

Volunteer at the Bayswater Families Centre in central London aged 19, for 3 years. The Centre was used by temporarily homeless families with young children. Many users were seeking political asylum in the UK.

Deputy play-scheme leader for one summer for Westminster Women’s Aid, based in a Women’s Refuge.

The experiences I gained at the Families Centre and the women’s refuge taught me a huge amount about life and the importance of taking the time to find out about someone’s experiences. It shaped who I am today.

I was a full-time mum to my two children from 2003. During this time I was on the committee of the NCT for many years and helped to run a local Parent & Toddler group.

My mum died when I was a few weeks pregnant with my son in 2006. My dad died less than two years later.