"I was brought up in Oxford and went to local state schools. I attended York University and after graduating went to work in Birmingham in a Community Law Centre for four years. There I undertook individual casework and some group/community work - helping to set up a Tenants" Association and a Claimants' Union. I returned to Oxford in the early 80's and undertook a postgraduate course at the University and obtained a social work qualification. I worked for a (short time) as a social worker before going back into advice and community work helping to set up Oxfordshire Welfare Rights. Whilst working in Barton I taught on a number of WEA courses in welfare rights which always seemed popular and well attended - attracting people from a variety of different health and social care settings, the voluntary sector and claimants.

In the late 80's/early 90's I trained and became a qualified solicitor working locally in family law and when the Immigration Detention Centre opened at Campsfield taking on asylum cases as there were very few solicitors in Oxford at that time carrying out immigration/nationality/asylum work. In 1996 I became a tutor at Ruskin College employed initially to teach law to social work and youth and community work students. The college has since developed a one-year programme in law from which students can go on to study law at degree level. I ceased my involvement in organised politics in the late 80's and didn't renew my membership of the Labour Party after the Iraq war in 1991 (having been Chair of Oxford West and Abingdon Constituency Labour Party for a number of years). Whilst in Birmingham I was an active member and steward of NUPE becoming a delegate to Trades Council and the (first) woman member of the executive. Over the last few years I have become involved in local community campaigns - such as the Save Our Schools Campaign and also - inevitably - in the battle to stop Ruskin from moving to the former UNIPART site at Woodstock Road, as Chair of the Ruskin College AUT group."