Hello, As a third generation Eckingtonian many of you will know me. I grew up at t' top end and moved to live at t' bottom end in my mid-twenties.

I work for another Local Government Council. My job is around supporting people with their Housing and rent costs and needs. Since the start of lockdown in March 2020 I was fortunate enough to be able to work from home, so I have had much more time to spend walking around our village and it's surrounding countryside to really see what is happening. Thus I decided to put my money where my mouth was, and here I am!

My dad was a miner all of his working life, and my first real experience of supporting my community was during the strike of 1984-5 when the local women's action group- chaired by my mum and run by more amazing women, not only supported the families and miners of the village but sowed the seeds of change for many women's ways of life and their expectations in the years that followed. Our village still has that camaraderie forged by pulling together through shared experience.

A recent great battle that we Eckingtonians won was the one against a huge company that wanted to drill exploratory wells and then frack our countryside, Eckington Against Fracking – as well as its neighbours further afield, was a trojan effort and a great opportunity for us all to protect our way of life as well as reinforce our community spirit. Many of us went above and beyond in this issue and I for one am eternally grateful to them, and for the opportunity to play my small part in the proceedings, here and in other parts of the country.

Eckington has had its fair share of changes and upheaval even in my lifetime, and through it, or in spite of it, remains a close knit and very friendly place to live.

Much of my time is spent between my paid employment and afterschool childcare for my daughter's three offspring. Otherwise I can often be seen trying to survive the treadmill or fighting to stay afloat in our local leisure centre's gym and baths or walking the beautiful countryside that surrounds our village, pausing only to refresh myself at one or the other of our hostelries, and hopefully from now on, trying to keep in touch with you all in Eckington South especially, and learning what it is that you would like me to help you achieve/clean/fix/improve for your part of your village. Please do keep in touch, that's how we best work together, and thank you for reading.

Kathy is a member of the following Working Parties:

Open Spaces

Community Support

Kathy is the snow warden for Eckington Parish

You can find Cllr Clegg's register of interests on this page