Spotlight On CCG Members - November 2019 - Julie Ward
Nov, 6 2019
What an individual initially seeks out for employment doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll pursue it indefinitely but they may still contribute to a good cause in the future which reflects their original interest.
This was very much the case for Lancashire based Julie Ward as we’ll learn more about her in this month’s ‘Spotlight on CCG Members’.
Julie had a long, established career in the cultural sector working with marginalised communities using arts as a tool in the following three key areas:-
1. Wellbeing
2. Empowerment
3. Social change
As a positive influence in the arts she then developed an interest in politics yet never leaving her strong inclination. She was working with partners in the EU and beyond for more than a decade. In one occurrence, 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 realised she could be a powerful force for good and it wasn’t long before she got seriously involved with the political scene in the local and wider range community.
She is a Labour and Co-operative Party Member of the European Parliament for the North West of England, covering the following places :-
• Cumbria
• Lancashire
• Merseyside
• Cheshire
• Greater Manchester
As such, she is a member 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.
Despite this u-turn in her career she never left her creative roots as she currently serves on the Parliament's Culture & Education Committee. In addition she holds a seat on 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.
The CCG is eternally grateful for her supportive efforts during recent years in response to the successful One Billion Rising and STAR events in Preston and UCLAN.
We look forward to future engagements with her as she continues to go from strength to strength in her contribution both to the arts and the political world.
Welcome aboard, Julie Ward.
^Alex Ashworth.
