Bryan Atkinson

Bryan Atkinson is a 43 year old environmental activist and registered nurse. Bryan's children are educated in local schools and he is a strong supporter of first class, publicly funded services.

Bryan has an impressive track record as an anti-roads campaigner and only recently gave evidence to a local public enquiry on behalf of Friends of the Earth opposing the destruction of Green Belt land at Fellgate, whilst sitting councillors have failed to take part in the process. Bryan is respected by local residents for his principled opposition to the Second Tyne Crossing and for encouraging the Council to consider alternative strategies for relieving local traffic congestion.

"People must understand that the threat to our green belt and the environment hasn't gone away - and it won't until we get greens elected to local government."

Bryan has been selected by the Green Party to stand as candidate for the West Park ward.

Bryan has also been selected by the Green Party to stand as prospective parliamentary candidate for the Jarrow constituency.

email: bryan.atkinson@stgreens.org.uk

blog: Tyne Dock Green

Lynne Barber

Lynne was born in South Shields in 1968. At a young age she moved with her parents to Stockton. She has always had roots in South Shields and finally reurned ‘home’ about six years ago.

Lynne spent lot of her childhood following outdoor pursuits; camping, developing a deep seated love and respect for nature and 'a passion for walking in the heavy rain’. This time spent with nature cultivated a fascination for plants and trees and over the years she has taught herself a lot about the medicinal, nutritional, growth habits and other various uses of plants. Lynne is South Tyneside Green Party's organic champion and can often be found pottering about at her productive organic allotment where she grows a diverse range of fruit, vegetables and herbs, accompanied by her young son.

Whilst in Stockton Lynne volunteered at Billingham Beck Ecology Park, and after returning to South Shields carried on with her volunteer work helping out with Countryside Volunteers South Tyneside, where she 'gets her hands dirty' in practical conservation work. Lynne is also an active member of both South Tyneside Friends of the Earth and CND.

Lynne is a big advocate of natural and alternative health treatments and holds an holistic therapist qualification for treatment in massage, aromatherapy, reflexology and Indian head massage. She successfully completed a course at South Tyneside College last year, and is now studying environmental science at Newcastle University.

Lynne is standing for the Green Party in the Westoe ward.

Lynne is the co-ordinator of South Tyneside Green Party and can be contacted at the email address below.

email: lynne.barber@stgreens.org.uk

Shirley Ford

Shirley Ford moved to South Shields 9 years ago to get married and has a 7 year old son. Her roots are here in the North East - her parents being from Newcastle and Berwick.

Shirley works at a local primary school supporting parents to enable their children to attend school more regularly. She has worked on holiday playschemes and in youth clubs, and currently helps at the Deaf children’s club in South Shields.

A campaigner for over 20 years, Shirley has worked as a volunteer in Kenya, at War on Want, in Women in Black against war, Campaign Against the Arms Trade and the Stop the War Coalition. Shirley stands for a real sustainable society based .

Shirley has opposed Labour's illegal wars and is critical of the way that the UK's arms industry seems to dictate domestic and foreign policy.

"We must have a truly ethical Foreign Policy, not one that serves the oil and weapons industries."

"Labour has been obsessed with treating our hospitals and schools like businesses rather than public services. It's time to return the NHS to its founding principles - for people not for profit. Our schools need to stay local, not run as Private Finance Initiatives, and stay small, not merged into huge sheds and forcing longer journeys."

"We need to push for more quality local jobs, taking advantage of the growth in new clean technologies like renewable energy, whilst at the same time reducing the need to travel huge distances to work."

Shirley has been selected by the Green Party to stand as parliamentary candidate for the South Shields constituency.

email: shirley.ford@stgreens.org.uk

Chris Haine

Born in 1969, Chris is married and has lived in Jarrow since 2004. His career started in London and Vienna working as a parliamentary researcher and marketing manager. On returning to the UK he founded a hotel reservations company in the Midlands - this was very successful until the Internet changed the business landscape. In 2004 Chris re-located to the North East to study Architecture at Northumbria University. At the same time he trained to be a Humanist Funeral Officiant and this sensitive role is now the focus of his work.

Chris has been a member of the Green Party for most of his adult life. His principal interest is to see Green candidates elected to all levels of government in order to reverse the damage being done not just to our environment but to the fabric of society. Rampant consumerism, unsustainable economic expansion and a total disregard for universal values of fairness and equality are poisoning public life. The Green Party is the party of the future - working for all generations, for all communities - and seeks to re-engage ordinary people in politics.

An energetic and committed campaigner, Chris also devotes a lot of time to other voluntary organisations including the North East Humanists, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Lancaster Canal Restoration Trust and Amnesty International.

His leisure interests include classical music, reading, fell walking and cycling.

email: chris.haine@stgreens.org.uk

Bramanay Nilsson

Bramanay (Bram) is a local mother of 4, who is an active volunteer as a Breastfeeding Peer Support counsellor and a member and supporter of WHIST (Women's Health in South Tyneside). Despite her busy schedule, she is also an active member of Biddick Hall and Whiteleas Childrens Centre. Bram has studied Religion and Politics at Sunderland and Newcastle Universities.

Whilst Bram is South Tyneside Green Party's latest member, she has long been interested in environment, sustainability and social justice issues, and is a strong believer in protecting public services.

Bram chose to stand for the Green Party because she believes that people should have more real say on what happens in their communities. Her volunteer work in women's health has led her to the conclusion that our health services should be run for people, not for profit.

Bram is standing for the Green Party in the Biddick and All Saints ward.

email: bram.nilsson@stgreens.org.uk

Brian Paget

Brian is 40 years old, married with a young son and works as an analyst/programmer developing software for the financial sector.

Brian's environmental interests focus (although not exclusively) on transport, planning and sustainable low energy construction, which is reflected in his involvement in several consultations where his vision of a low carbon future argued that South Tyneside Council should adopt his proposal of a minimum of a 10 per cent on-site renewable energy generation for all future major development projects in South Tyneside. Brian was also involved in the campaign to halt the deletion of the Green Belt at Fellgate at both borough and regional level. His most recent contribution to the Local Development Framework (LDF) draft policy on Sustainable Construction and Development called for South Tyneside Council to implement more rigorous building standards than it's current unambitious targets.

Brian believes that the Green Party is the only party offering a realistic vision of a sustainable future, a future that can be realised through local action.

"None of the other main party or alliance candidates standing in South Tyneside offer coherent sustainable solutions. Instead of working together to solve local problems, councillors from opposing parties can do little more than play politics.

"A vote for the Green Party is a vote for true sustainability – the highest possible quality of life for the present generation without denying that quality of life to future generations."

Brian is standing for the Green Party in the Harton ward.

email: brian.paget@stgreens.org.uk

Rachael Taylor

Rachael Taylor is 27 years old and has lived in the Marsden area since 1992. Rachael has 2 young children and works as a volunteer breast feeding peer counsellor alongside Sure Start health visitors. She has been an active animal rights campaigner for 10 years and has been involved with the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS).

Rachael was educated in South Shields and qualified as an aboriculturalist at Durham’s Houghall College. Since starting her family, Rachael has also become very active in a number of local groups including Friends of the Earth. In fact she has been interested in the environment for as long as she can remember working with BTCV for many years tree planting, hedge laying and dry stone walling.

Anyone with toddlers or children in the family will know that the daily reality of life could be transformed with a little extra support - be it through local residents groups, improved child care or better funded schools. Rachael has the ambition and determination to work for the benefit of everyone for a greener Cleadon Park.

Rachael is standing for the Green Party in the Cleadon Park ward.

email: rachael.taylor@stgreens.org.uk

Copyright © 2007-2008 South Tyneside Green Party

Promoted by Shirley Ford of 214 Mowbray Road South Shields NE33 3BE, on behalf of South Tyneside Green Party of 32 Percy Street, Jarrow, NE32 3AX.