I am 42 years young and I have lived in Haswell since the age of 4.

I have a passion for people and this led me to volunteer and train in Haswell resulting in receiving an award at the Houses of Parliament. 

It was this passion that led me to becoming the Community Engagement Officer for the Haswells working on the Coalfields Regeneration Trust Project. This was an exciting and vibrant time for the Haswells. The large scale investment in facilities enabled the community to come together and together we ran fashion shows, fun days, carnivals, day trips and helped many people to gain qualifications and access employment. 

Following the end of this project I went on to form my own successful business with my business partner- Uplift Associates, where we help people to overcome barriers in life, we empower, we inspire and we encourage people to live life to the full- skills that will transfer to my parish councillor role, if elected. 

I have two boys aged 14 and 16 who are both active and enjoy sports and outdoor activities all of which are sadly in neighbouring villages. 

I firmly believe that the "can-do" attitude of The Haswells Community Party can change this by bringing more activities into OUR villages for OUR children. 

I am proud to be from The Haswells, my family are from Haswell Plough, it is a friendly picturesque village that has been neglected. 

My pledge is to use my passion as a vehicle for the people's voice, to get the community of The Haswells what they want and deserve.

My name is George Dunstone and I was born in Shotton and met my wife Pat, a Haswell girl back in 1963. 

I proudly served in the Armed Forces and my career also included working at County Hall.

I worked for the prison service for 20 years and this role unfortunately took me and my family away from the village we loved so much. 

We then returned to Haswell in 1988 where we have been active members of our community ever since. 

For over 21 years we have organised The Friendship Club for the senior citizens of Haswell providing social opportunities and outings. 

Haswell is the place that I am proud to call my home and a vote for The Haswells Community Party will enable this motivated group of people to restore The Haswells back to the thriving community it used to be, for all ages. 

Age is only a number! 

My name is Olwen Gray and I was born in 1949 in the prefabs, I then moved to Haswell Plough at the age of one and a half years and went on to attend AJ Dawson Grammar School. 

I moved to Haswell in 1972 and feel very passionate about The Haswells, my home. 

Throughout my life I have always been an active member of the community including being a school governor and chair and committee member of Haswell Community Centre for 12 years. 

I am an ex member of the Labour Party, an active TUC member and the former convenor of Walkers Crisps for 15 years. These roles developed my skills and gave me the courage to speak up for what is right.

I am retired now but feel like I still have a lot to give to see our villages restored to what they used to be with a vibrant community spirit. 

Over the last 12 weeks I have been surrounded by a small group of very passionate people, all standing to represent the people of The Haswells on May 4th. 

The young people are so energised and organised, it is a very exciting time and brings back so many memories of my younger days. 

I am Sandra and I have 3 children and I live and work in Haswell.

My late partner and I moved here 29 years ago, shortly after our first child was born as we wanted to raise our family in a small rural village with community spirit and values - this is something that we both felt strongly about. I helped to set-up the toddler group and was also a Brown Owl in Haswell and East Durham with the Brownies.

Over the years I have seen a decline in what was a thriving community and would dearly love to restore that once again. Our housing and community has grown but sadly, the activities and amenities have not. 

I am not a politician just someone who feels passionate about the place we live and want to see improvements in our community. With the help of my fellow candidates from the Haswells Community Party, I want to achieve better things for our community and to act on your behalf to bring about change.

My name is Chris Hood and I am 36 years old. 

I first fell in love with The Haswells 16 years ago when I met my wife, Hayley. We have 2 children aged 4 and 8 who have both attended the nursery in Haswell. 

I was christened and married in St Paul's Church and over the years have been involved in many community activities such as coaching a junior football team and the fashion show- which brings back fond memories of such a thriving time for The Haswells. 

Coming from a large town myself it was refreshing to see two small villages with such a vibrant community spirit, where everyone knew and looked out for each other. 

My passion lies in community development and marketing. This has taken me down many paths in my career including both senior and director roles of community trusts, professional sports clubs, a national company and my own business. However, with two young children, who grow up so fast, I didn't want to miss anything and gave up these national roles to work locally in the Furni-shed at Haswell Mencap. 

My skills of marketing, public speaking, debating and sourcing funding I feel will all be good attributes, if elected on May 4th for both Parish and County. 

Over the years I have made many friends of all ages from across The Haswells, a place steeped in history and a place that I now call home. 

Over the last 12 weeks we have brought The Haswells together again to share information and we have heard a community voice like it used to be, just imagine what could be achieved over the next 4 years! 

My name is Elaine Major and I have lived in Haswell for 58 years. My parents and my son were all born in Haswell Plough and I was on the board of governors at Haswell Primary School. I fought hard to try to stop it from closing as I know how important a school is to the local community.

My husband, son and I all live in Haswell Village and like the rest of The Haswells Community Party, want to get some community spirit back into the villages – that’s what we all want!

Hi, I'm Hayley, the youngest of your 9 candidates. I moved to Haswell when I was 4 years old and grew up in Church View with my parents and older brother and sister. I had the privilege of attending Haswell Primary School where I created special and life-long memories with the closest of friends. I was a regular at the 'centre disco' and drama club that produced 'Fadge for Breakfast' (I'm sure you all remember this!!). What resonates most about my childhood in the Haswell's is the closeness within the community, which created a safe haven for children and young people; with everyone looking out for everyone else. 

After my dreams of joining the Police Force were dashed when I developed a severe and permenant hearing impairment aged 16, I spent 3 years working with adults with learning disabilities in their own homes. I became extremely frustrated in this role when the voices of the most vulnerable were not heard or represented, which led me to attend University to study Social Work. I began the degree in 2007 as an average 21 year old and graduated with a First Class Honours thanks to support from my family and friends and the sheer determination I possessed to go out into the community and make a difference. 

Over the last 7 years I have had the opportunity to work in several roles across the Region and I currently work as a Social Worker for children with complex disabilities and life limiting illnesses. I feel the type of work I do emphasises the empathetic, non-judgemental and passionate individual I am. 

I continue to live in Haswell with my partner of 14 years, Andrew and our beautiful 5 year old daughter. I am very proud to be from the Haswell's however I am concerned about the villages, about our voice not being heard at local and county level and about my daughter and your childrens' current and future opportunities. 

Hi, I am William Ramsay known to most people of The Haswells as Billy.

I was born at Little Thorpe maternity hospital in Dec 1968, making me 48. Over the last 48 years, I have lived in 5 different houses all within The Haswells. 

I have been married to my wife Julie for 26 years. Julie was also born and raised in Haswell and we have since had three children and one granddaughter, two of our children have now bought properties of their own within the Haswells. 

I work and run my business on the outskirts of the village with my father and one of my sons.
I find it difficult to believe that this is the same village that I grew up in. I have noticed a decline to our villages over the years and have seen business after business close, with people losing all pride and faith in the community in which they live. 

We all need to work together to put the heart back into the community, to give all generations somewhere to be proud of. The future is in our hands and we can make it better.

It was nice to see the community spirit come back to life again over the last few weeks at our four meetings which have been held within the villages of Haswell and Haswell Plough. This is the same community spirit which was evident throughout my childhood.

Hi, my name is Kerry Welch and I have lived in Haswell for the majority of my life. I moved here in 1989 at the age of 11 with my parents, my older brother and younger sister; my family have continued to live here. I moved away in 2003 for a short period of time; when I choose to return to Haswell where I continue to live with my own family; my husband and my 2 young and active children aged 5 and 2; who we absolutely adore!

I am an honest and transparent person with drive and passion to make a real difference! I have been extremely fortunate to have over 20 years of experience in Health and Social Care. I worked within the Ambulance Service front line accident and emergency tier for a number of years before moving over to the charitable sector where I have successfully undertaken a number of roles in operational management, Project co-ordination, vocational assessment; and quality and compliance.

I am passionate about inclusion and working with people, I have a strong value base with a proven track record in empowering all, including the more vulnerable people in our communities, to have a voice and express what really matters to them.

Haswell is my home; I am passionate about our villages and as I have matured in life I care more and more about our local community and the area in which we live. I care about the environment and safety, I care about what opportunities are available for not only our youngsters but for people of all age groups, including the more vulnerable members of our community.

I am proud to be a member of the Haswell’s Community Party and feel that if elected for local council I have a number of valuable skills that I could successfully transfer to this role, which would have a positive impact in our community.

Thanks for taking the time to read a bit about me!