Jo has lived in Leckhampton for more than 5 years. She is a 24/7 electric wheelchair user and sits on the Cheltenham Accessibility Forum. Before moving to Cheltenham, Jo was an advocate for other disabled people, particularly in Northamptonshire, advising the County Council Planning and Policy Committee on accessibility issues. Later in Cambridgeshire Jo moved on to supporting young people with physical and/or learning difficulties in a Sixth Form Uni, having overall responsibility to provide support and advice about how they might navigate life in the future. During this time, she drew very heavily on herr training as a therapeutic Counsellor.
In her role as Parish Councillor Jo hopes to continue championing these themes, giving some general insight from a wheelchair users' perspective and will help ensure that local amenities are as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people. Jo's particular area of local interest surrounds ensuring the future planning and development of pedestrian infrastructure fully reflects wheelchair user needs. It's worth mentioning that this would also make things easier for parents with pushchairs, being additionally keen to explore the regeneration and repurposing of existing Council buildings, facilities and infrastructure to improve life for the entire community.