Born and educated in Leicestershire, with a working life mostly spent in in education, she became a Harborough District Councillor in a Market Harborough town ward in 2007. Working in the community has been a constant passion in her life, particularly campaigning for public services and better amenities for residents. She presently chairs the Medical Centre's Patient Participation Group, is a trustee of the Howard Watson Symington Memorial Charity, and a local primary school LEA governor. Her interests include gardening, running, arts, music, reading - and spending time with her family and friends.