I have been a member of The Green Party for over 20 years and a supporter for much longer.

I stood as a paper candidate in the local elections in 2005 and 2007 (on Hayling Island.) More recently I stood in Wolds Weighton Ward in the East Riding where I gained 17% of the vote. I have also supported other candidates over the years with leaflet drops and canvassing in Brighton and Gosport in the early 2000s and, most recently, in Beverley.

I feel it is important that people have the opportunity to select a Green Party Candidate to enable the electorate to understand that the Green Party has an extensive manifesto. Education is the key and some people still think of the party as ‘just another pressure group and only interested in banning things!’.

In my many years of life on planet earth I have survived fifteen Prime Ministers, eleven of them Conservative. I have learnt many lessons on how not to govern a country & I feel the only way forward is with some form of proportional representation. Many of the people I have spoken to believe that a vote for the Green Party is a wasted vote. This is solely due to our present voting system of First Past the Post.

It is frustrating to watch the country sink into greater decline with every successive Government and to have to listen to their empty promises. There are very few honest politicians and most seem to be driven by greed and a lust for power.

I am mainly interested in trying to ensure a healthy future for my Grandchildren to secure the future of this beautiful planet.

We cannot continue to plunder what remains of the earth’s resources. For instance: farming on an industrial scale is not sustainable. We should be promoting organic farming and encouraging people to grow their own fruit and vegetables (where possible.) Community orchards, food forests and of course allotments are (I believe) the way forward.

As an allotment holder myself I can vouch for the health benefits of “growing your own” in terms of promoting both mental and physical health. I grow as much of my own produce as possible on my allotment. I keep my garden wild to support a wide variety of wildlife, including hedgehogs, squirrels (sadly no Red Squirrels), the occasional fox and a large number of bird species. I have two wildlife ponds and I am in the process of constructing a third in the hope of attracting bats again to the area. They vanished along with Tawny Owls due to the excessive house building locally. I am also a member of Market Weighton Wildlife Group and Greener Pocklington. When I’m not outside, I enjoy listening to music and reading a wide range of books from novels to biographies and poetry. I don’t own a car, so rely on public transport, walk or occasionally cycle everywhere.

These are some of my reasons for wanting to be involved in the General Election. It would be a pleasure to promote green values and hopefully increase the number of people who vote for the Green Party.