I grew up in the Northeast, and  lived in Consett as a teenager. I moved  to Liverpool for university, and then Nottingham to do my post-grad. I then lived and worked in London as an English teacher and manager. We returned to Consett in 2002 to bring up our  three children. I have 30 years experience teaching English, I also set up my own company in 2013, and a charity in 2018, where I am currently CEO. I was also a Trustee of the National Association of Teachers of English (NATE).  I held numerous voluntary community roles over the years.. Overall, with my cross-sector expertise and a great deal of management experience, I believe that  I have the knowledge, experience and skills to be an effective Chair of CANF.