Moving from my home in Belfast to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Goldsmiths College in London was no easy feat but, since joining the NLC four years ago, I’ve become enthralled with the diversity, character and welcoming atmosphere of the Club – and can say from the heart that I have found a real home here.
As a supporter and campaigner for the Liberal Democrats I was drawn to the NLC by its history. The Club has a longstanding record of being at the forefront of diversity and I am a regular at the LGBTQ+ Forum’s monthly socials held every month.
As probably the youngest person on the Members’ Council, I want to represent and strengthen the voice of the 20% of younger Club members and I look forward to providing a fresh set of ideas to foster a better deal for us!
In my professional life, I work in sales as a partner with Utility Warehouse, a company that helps people save money on their everyday utilities. (Harley joined the Club in 2019 and was elected to the Members’ Council in 2022)
I now chair the Club’s Beer, Wines & Spirits Committee, and the Women’s Network. The popular Tuesday and Thursday Tables are something I co-host: these provide an opportunity for members, new and old, to meet together, get to know new people and enjoy the comforts of the Bar and Dining Room just as much or as little as they please.
My work is as an employment rights adviser for a trade union and, in such spare time as I have, I enjoy reading (mainly novels) and knitting. (Val joined the Club in 2008 and was elected to what is now the Members’ Council in 2019.)
Hello, I’m a freelance political journalist, lecturer and copy editor, based in Cardiff and London, writing occasionally for Parliament’s own magazine, The House, among others. The son of a Devon farmer and Welsh nurse, I trained as a teacher after university before entering journalism in Cardiff, moving later to Westminster via Brussels and Strasbourg.
After 25 eventful years as a BBC Political and then Parliamentary Correspondent, I became a very mature MA student at King’s College London – decades after my 1st degree. I also rejoined the Club and was part of the working group that successfully recommended liberalising the dress code, though there is still more to do. I now sit on the Membership Cttee.
Outside work, I have long enjoyed acting and producing – latterly with Tower Theatre in London and my own company, Moonlight Theatre, which toured Under Milk Wood to Malta in 2019. I am also a charity trustee for Homeopathy UK. (Robert joined the Club in 1984 and 2013 and was elected to what is now the Members’ Council in 2018).
I enjoy political discussion, networking and fine dining – all on offer at our Club, which I came to join thanks to meeting an NLC member at a networking event.
Such events and opportunities to network – to meet and develop contacts – are a major focus both at the Club and also at Westminster Business Council, where I am CEO. There we provide connections and intelligence to help London businesses
grow, and introduce employers and students for career opportunities. In 2019 we ran our inaugural Business Awards Ceremony at the Club, where I also chair the Business Forum.
My career has involved influencing government policy and pioneering innovative projects in deprived areas. I led the development of the national Prince’s Trust Team programme to help unemployed young people build their confidence and find work. (Elizabeth joined the Club in 2016 and was elected to what is now the Members’ Council in in 2018)
I was recently elected to chair the Membership Committee and also sit on the Club’s Marketing & Communications Committee. I also co-chair the Literary Circle and am on the NLC’s Diversity and Art Collection Working Groups. I publish inksweatandtears.co.uk – an online poetry and prose magazine with a small print section which has seen several pamphlets shortlisted for major poetry awards.
I sit on the board of Poetry School, described as the UK’s largest provider of poetry education and ‘inspiring tuition’, and also support small-scale theatre productions, poetry scholarships and projects.
Am currently working with writer development agency Spread the Word and academics from Glasgow University on the Runaways Project, which involves creative responses from Black and South Asian writers and artists to adverts published in London in the Restoration period to help trace runaway slaves. Few are even aware that slavery was practised in the UK. (Kate joined the Club in 2008 and was elected to what is now the Members’ Council in 2018)
