Sarah Canning
Sarah has lived in Gloucestershire since 2010, moving to Stroud district in 2020, and says the community ethos here is unique. “I’ve moved around a fair bit in my time and a I feel sense of community here – more so then anywhere else I’ve lived,” she says.
She decided to stand for the council as a way of making a positive difference in her local community.
Sarah works as the sustainability and social value lead for a major resources and waste management company. In her job she regularly engages with politicians and government departments to encourage them to develop and deliver more effective waste-related policies that benefit people and the planet.
Her personal attributes that will be valuable as a councillor include strategic thinking, creative problem solving and persistence.
If elected she will work to help the council do even more to protect the environment. She says: “We are doing a great job within the district but there is much more to do, and these challenges will continue as we juggle the demands on our landscape – such as the need for housing and recreational space – with the need to let nature thrive.”
Sarah has supported the Green Party for many years but joined as a paying member after Brexit showed how broken the political system had become. “I wanted to invest in a party that is more aligned to the future I think would be the most beneficial for everyone in our country,” she says.
She is the co-chair of Nailsworth Climate Action Network, the chair of the Chartered Institute of Waste Management’s SW centre and a fellow of the Institute of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.
Sarah also volunteers with the British Hen Welfare Trust and owns six rescue chickens – as well as a Bordernese dog called Zeus, who is well known to dog walkers in Woodchester.