Spotlight on CCG Members - Julie Ward MEP - November 2022

Nov, 5 2022

Making a difference. We all strive to do so in our lives perhaps as a parent, bringing up their child or in the workplace, going that extra mile to increase our earnings.

These are all seldom good in their own place but what if a person used creativity to make a difference. Time and again this has proved to be a positive tool for transforming lives and this month’s ‘Spotlight on CCG Members’ has demonstrated that it’s possible. Let us learn more about Preston based Julie Ward.

When discovering what career path to take, Julie knew instinctively that she found her calling in the cultural sector. She gained valuable experience working with marginalised communities using arts as a tool for wellbeing, empowerment and social change.

As years progressed Julie invested considerable time in the political field. This saw her working with partners in the EU and beyond for more than a decade. For instance, she was involved in an international delegation to Belfast to participate in an all-party discussion about the role of the arts in peace-building processes.

Julie was first elected in 2014 and eight years later she now sits as a Labour and Co-operative Party Member of the European Parliament for the North West of England, covering Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

Her membership also covers one part of the European Parliamentary Labour Party and, in turn, part of the second largest group in the European Parliament, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.

Returning to her creative routes, she currently serves on the Parliament's Culture & Education Committee, the Regional Development Committee and the Committee on Gender Equality and Women's Rights. She is also a member of the Labour Party's Policy Commission on Education and Children.

Julie acknowledges the positive impact events such as the annual One Billion Rising and STAR events in Preston and  UCLAN have the community and so she endeavours to support the CCG by attending and showing her appreciation of  such important events which in turn raise awareness of issues such as domestic violence towards women and the growing rise in racism.

We look forward to seeing Julie at future events the CCG will host in the months to come.

^Alex Ashworth CCG UK Blogger