Ruth Abbey

I'm very proud to be the first Green Councillor for Manor Castle Ward. That's a big responsibility, and I take it seriously. The residents of Manor Castle are fantastic, they are the most welcoming and friendly people you could hope to meet. But there are problems, as there are everywhere. We don't make the best use of our green space; too many local children can't pause at a handy park or playground on their way home from school (as I did, back in the day) to enjoy fresh air and get rid of the tensions of the school day. I'm Deputy Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee on Sheffield City Council, working hard to put the city's most vulnerable road users at the heart of everything that we do. Sheffield has adopted 'Vision Zero': a commitment to reduce road fatalities to zero. Only a complete change in the way that we travel can make that happen. I have lived in the Norfolk Park area of Sheffield since 2011. I have a wealth of experience in my working life: I've been an advisor at Citizens Advice; a university librarian; an NHS administrator and receptionist and an IT support team manager. I currently volunteer at S2 Food Bank as a debt mentor, helping Food Bank clients to deal with their financial problems. I also run a weekly collection for food bank donations. I joined the Green Party after taking part in the campaign to save our local street trees. As a relative newcomer to Sheffield, I know that I am privileged to live in such a green city, and was really moved by the way that local Greens worked within the community to protect our environment during the street trees campaign. I am a keen cyclist, walker and user of public transport, and have been car-free since 2017. As I walk and cycle around our ward, I'm struck by how much the place we live affects our mental health - our ward deserves to be both clean and green - there's a lot of work to do there.