Birmingham's boldest women

Thank you to whoever nominated me for 'Brum's Boldest Women'. If I'm 'Bold' it's because I've been supported and nurtured by incredible women who were 'Bolder' than I'll ever be. I was born in Birmingham and have lived here (nearly) all my life. I've been working as a public health nutrition specialist for nearly 20 years - motivated by tackling health inequalities especially amongst the diverse communities in our city. I'm currently supporting 11 cities across Europe (including Birmingham) as part of a Horizon 2020 project - providing strategic advice and expert input on nutrition for urban food strategies.

I set up a Food School in 2014 to support the public and organizations to make healthier, more sustainable food choices and I'm also working for the Food Foundation leading the Food Cities 2022 Learning Partnership. This involves engaging cities in India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Malawi, Namibia and Kenya to support development of healthy, sustainable food policies. The cities will participate in an in-person meeting in Birmingham on the eve of the Commonwealth Games to discuss how we can work together to address the food system challenges we face locally and globally. Birmingham is at the heart of all this work and my experience of living in this city motivates me.

Although I'm passionate about the work I do, my personal life is equally important. This is all centred around living in the city and the incredible people I've met here. My friends and the people I connect with are from diverse backgrounds, different ages and have different stories. I don't need to meet people who look like me or think like me. That's what's great about living in this city...the world of humankind on your doorstep.