As someone born and raised in the valleys it would be an honour to be elected to represent the community of Islwyn in Parliament.

I have strong links to Islwyn - I have worked here and my partner’s family come from Pontllanfraith. Should the people of Islwyn place their trust in me as their Member of Parliament I will make my home in the constituency.

Brought up in the Rhondda valleys, I was educated at Porth County Comprehensive, Pontypridd College and Trinity College, Carmarthen where I graduated with a history degree.

Upon leaving university, I worked for Jack Brown Bookmakers covering shops in the Penllwyn and at Oakdale. I have also worked for Lloyds TSB, where I acted as a workplace union representative and at the University of Glamorgan.

In 2004 I was appointed as a full-time trade union official with the Union of Finance Staff representing thousands of individual union members negotiating on their behalf with management about pay and conditions.

I also campaigned with IT and finance workers to save their jobs from being off-shored overseas.

For the past four years, I have worked as the researcher to Don Touhig MP working every day in his constituency office in Pontllanfraith providing support to Mr Touhig in his role as the Member of Parliament for Islwyn.

I was Labour's candidate in the 2005 General Election in Cheltenham and I am a member of Unite, the Fabians Society and the Co-operative Party.

If elected I will stand up for local people, putting their needs first - I will live and breathe Islwyn.