I have lived in the Glossop and Charlesworth area my whole life, currently with Covid delayed wife in Glossop. My entire Primary, Secondary and A-level education was spent at Simmondley Primary School and then Glossopdale Community College. I worked at Woolworths in Glossop throughout my Post 16 education and at Card Factory in Glossop throughout my Undergraduate education at the University of Manchester where I obtained a 1^st class Master of Chemistry degree in Chemistry with Industrial Experience. I was also able to spend a year of my Undergraduate education working for the Chemical Analytical Service provider Intertek ASG in Manchester.

I completed a PhD in Nanoscience at the University of Manchester, where I was also heavily involved in Outreach work in the Chemistry department, going out to schools all over the North West to enthuse students of all ages about Chemistry with practical demonstrations.

I am now a university lecturer in Nanascience.

Having worked in Glossop town centre for many years I am acutely aware of the strain our town centre is under. I have seen numerous retailers close their doors for the last time, having worked for one such retailer myself, and often the stores remain empty for periods of time and are then filled by stores similar to existing ones. Additionally places like the Heritage Centre and the Tourist Information Centre have been forced to close down. These losses in services and jobs are being felt keenly and I, like the Liberal Democrats, wish to do everything we can within the law to protect our town centres from further detrimental developments and to attempt where possible to encourage new, different businesses to open.

I find it particularly outrageous that we no longer have a Tourist Information Centre in Glossop, which as the "Gateway to the Dark Peak" is a popular tourist destination. As an elected County Councillor I would work towards attempting the re-opening of such a centre.