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Born on 13th August 1953, my youth held the privilege of the sea, the sun and the rolling hills of childhood freedom. A budding pianist, a misfit at school, I blossomed at art college and was propelled to the heady heights of fashion design where perhaps my greatest achievement was to discover, one morning, that my designs graced the windows of every shop window in Oxford Street.
By 1991 I had managed two of my own companies, made the shift into electronics, become CEO of Encrypta Electronics, and moved to Wales from where my own children could experience the joys of a country life. Directorships of other companies followed. In 1997 I accepted a position with the Welsh Development Agency working to grow indigenous businesses; from there I moved to the Welsh Assembly Government working on business consultancy.
I have lived in Cuba, backpacked round India, and driven a convoy of humanitarian aid across Europe to Gaza. I stood as a Green Party parliamentary candidate in 2010 and as an Assembly Member in 2011.
My life as a human rights campaigner has always run in parallel to my professional work and love of motherhood. From early days as a Samaritan, to schools speaker for Amnesty International I have never stopped campaigning for the rights of the voiceless. In July 2011, whilst attempting to enter Bethlehem and visit Palestinians living on the West Bank, I was arrested by Israeli security and imprisoned in Givon jail, Ramla. I am currently Leader of the Green Party in Wales and candidate for the European Parliamentary elections in 2014.
