Occupation: Community Nurse / Borough Councillor

Education: Secondary - King Edmunds Community School, Yate, Bristol

Northampton University - Diploma of Higher Education - Adult Nursing

Biography

Portia was born in 1985 and grew up in Bristol, moving from Southmead to Yate when her parents divorced, completing her secondary education at King Edmunds Community School. She decided at the age of nine to become a nurse, despite being dyslexic, after being encouraged to find ways to manage her difficulty. She completed GCSE's but dropped out of sixth form after AS levels, as she was offered a place at Northampton University to study nursing 6 months earlier than expected.

Therefore, just before her 18th birthday she moved to Northampton start her Diploma in Nursing course. She was lucky that her particular course gave students an £8000 grant per year to live on and admits that she would have found it impossible to study without it. With support for her dyslexia from the University and family & friends, she completed her course working occasional shifts to supplement her income and left university under £500 in debt.

Her home life encouraged her to get actively involved in politics as the family listened to Radio Four over the evening meal and discussed world events and politics. Her step-grandfather stood in the elections in Bath in the 1960's which meant the family had always discussed politics and many a debate was argued over the dinner table. In sixth form she studied politics and undertook work experience with Steve Webb MP seeing first hand how a MP works both in London and in their constituency.

Since moving to Northampton to attend University she has stayed active within the Northampton Liberal Democrats helping recruit at her University's Fresher Fair and canvassing locally. She joined Liberal Democrat Youth and became a Borough Councillor in 2007 where she has helped many of her constituents with local difficulties, taking the time to look into problems and trying to resolve ongoing matters. She became chair of Licensing, after being deputy for 12 months, in 2009. She voted against the pay increase for councillors arguing that it was difficult to justify cutting budgets across the council and then increasing the councillors' pay.

In 2009 she spoke at the Harrogate Conference arguing the importance of tailoring policies for families to suit people rather than a blanket idea that suited some but not all. She said "we all have different needs and the Liberal Democrats have the answer to solving these needs". She concluded that whilst Labour has created "the nanny state" it is outrageous that it has been unable to "nanny our children".

Portia has made her home in Northampton where she works as a Community Nurse part time as well as a Borough Councillor, combining these roles with raising two young children with the total support and continued assistance from her husband James whom she met while he was serving in the Royal Navy.

Portia is passionate about everything she undertakes and brings some interesting life experiences to her prospective position, living with one parent and sister in rented accommodation with a very limited income, overcoming her dyslexia to achieve her aim of becoming a nurse, leaving home to live independently before she was 18.

Portia has volunteered with a number of organisations such as The British Red Cross, The Girl Guide Association and The Scout Association and she still helps with Scout Camp once a year.

She is looking forward to her new role as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Corby and East Northants, planning to combine her first hand ongoing experience of the NHS and raising a young family with her wider political knowledge.