I was born in Coventry in 1964 and raised in Birmingham, UK. I am the eldest of three children and have a sister and brother in Birmingham. I have studied psychology and HR management and done a little travel including Australia and living in Hong Kong for a while. I have done a parachute jump for Greenpeace but was so scared I had to be pushed out. My father is from Birmingham and was a Shop Steward for British Leyland for 26 years. My mother is from New Tredegar, Wales and worked in factories, hotels and shops in Birmingham.