I want to show that there is another direction this country can take
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
ELECTION PROFILE: Cheryl McDonald, Labour candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
I LIVE on the north Sutherland coast with my husband, and my family are also here. We feel part of this community and have been warmly welcomed.
I am originally from Hertfordshire and trained as a nurse and enjoyed my work, particularly caring for elderly patients.
Later I returned to college and subsequently worked as a resettlement officer and manager, helping homeless people find homes and dealing with alcohol and drug addictions of clients. Returning to college, I became a lecturer in literacy and numeracy, managing an adult education department.
I have always actively campaigned on the issues which I feel are important to us all. Having public services which are accountable to us, jobs which give people a decent living, women's rights, education, disability issues and tackling poverty... all these things which can make a huge difference to our lives.
I will campaign in this election to improve investment in the Highlands to reverse population decline, for a Real Living Wage of £10 an hour, to end Universal Credit, to improve access to decent healthcare in remote areas, and to improve accessibility to education for all, including in my passion of helping children with additional support needs.
I want to show all the families that are finding it hard to make ends meet that there is another direction this country can take. We don't have to accept what has been served up to us these last 10 years. Homelessness, food banks and hate should not be part of anyone's lives.
We know that our area needs investment in order to bring in jobs and people. It is time for a more coordinated, hands-on approach from central government, backed with the resources we desperately need and the structured, long-term planning required.
We don't have to accept what has been served up to us these last 10 years. Homelessness, food banks and hate should not be part of anyone's lives.
I am determined that all our children will have much-needed support in schools, whether they have a disability or not. Yes, education is a devolved issue, but the election has those from the two administrations that have overseen the devastating underfunding and demoralising of our schools and teachers.
We know we must adapt to methods of generating power from renewables. What we must also do is listen to the communities that will be affected, empower them to have a real voice in the planning process and enable them in the near future to generate their own power and keep the benefits.
Offshore generation is by far the most efficient and should always be the default position. Being green doesn't have to be painful.
In our area, we have many people who are struggling to find decent, well-paid jobs. Those that can, move away; those that can't are stuck in jobs that are low-skilled and low-paid, meaning food bank use is rising. Why is this not being addressed?
This is a beautiful part of the world. We do not live in isolation from the destruction of our habitat, and action needs to start now and progress quickly to protect our children's future. Our plans are for huge investment in promoting green jobs. Government investment is sadly lagging behind the speed of environmental change and it will need a large coordinated effort to address this now.
We are fortunate to live in a wonderful place but we pay the price in poor public services and jobs. Let's make our area the place that young people want to live in. Let's invest in their future now.
- Cheryl McDonald is the Labour candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross in this month’s general election. All five candidates in the constituency have been invited to take part in our Election Profile series in the John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier, in print and online.
