Biography

Joan Walmsley hails from Liverpool where she also went to University. After graduating in Biology she went to work in the health service and after a number of years out of the workplace bringing up her children she trained as a teacher and taught in the secondary sector.

It was in 1986 that she became politically active in the Liberal Party when her late husband Chris was the candidate in the famous West Derbyshire by-election (held by the Tories by only 100 votes). Since then she has held numerous posts in the local Parties, as a constituency chair, fundraiser, press officer, agent and PPC.

She has held National office in the Party as a member of the Federal Executive, Federal Conference Committee, Women Liberal Democrats, Gender Balance Task Force and has chaired several policy working parties.

Joan is currently Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Education, Families and Young People.

She stood for Parliament in 1992 and 1997 and in the European elections of 1999.

She is active in a number of children's charities including UNICEF, NSPCC, SKCV Children's Trust and The Infant Trust.

She is the Chair of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, a global conservation charity.

Expertise & Interests:

Education, from Early Years to Secondary

- PGCE from Manchester Polytechnic 1979
- Teacher - Buxton College 1979-86
- Party DCSF Spokesman in Lords, 2003 to date

Children's Rights

- Trustee of Unicef 2003 to 2009
- Parliamentary Ambassador for the NSPCC, current
- Patron of SKVC Childrens Trust, current
- Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children, current

Botany and Horticulture

- BSc (Hons) Botany 1966
- Chairman of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, 2005 to date

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