Highgate

Meet your 2010 Highgate Ward Candidates...

Valerie Leach  

Valerie settled in Highgate in 2007, after working almost all of her professional life in Africa and the US, most of this time in Tanzania and with UNICEF. While a relative newcomer in Camden, she has involved myself actively in local social and political activities.

Valerie has two teenage children, Francis and Rose, adopted in Tanzania 13 years ago, who now attend local schools.

Valerie’s work experience has been with communities, local and national governments, helping to set up local monitoring systems to improve the situation of children, conducting research, examining the implications of the research and providing advice so that social policy and programmes could be of greater benefit for children and the poor. She wants to bring this experience to bear in addressing the political and social concerns which confront us in Camden. 

Michael Nicolaides

Michael is 25 years old and has lived in Camden for most of his life.  For the last 10 years he has resided in Highgate ward.  Having attended Camden schools (St. Aloysius Juniors and William Ellis), Michael went to read Economics & Politics at York University and is now an accountant.

Michael joined the Labour Party aged 16 because he sympathised with the party’s values and with Labour’s achievements in Government (the National Minimum Wage and its commitment to and delivery on state education are just two examples).  Michael is hugely passionate about Camden and plays an extremely active role in his local community.  Aside from campaigning with the Camden Labour Party on issues like housing, youth services, crime and the environment, which he has strong views on, Michael is also a governor at a primary school in neighbouring Kentish Town and also volunteers for a public body in Camden.  Michael has a deep rooted belief that our communities have a role to play in creating equal opportunities for all and that as individuals we owe a duty of solidarity, tolerance and respect to one another.  It is for this reason that Michael has embedded himself in the local community and has decided to stand as candidate in Highgate.

On being selected as one of Labour’s candidates Michael said, "I am honoured to have this opportunity to represent Highgate residents.  I care about Highgate and local residents and I am ready to work tirelessly to improve Camden and our local area."

Michael stood in the 2008 by-election in Highgate and narrowly missed out on being elected.

Michael Way

Michael Way has lived in Dartmouth Park, Highgate ward, for more than 25 years, having moved there with his wife and son in 1983 after spending many years in France.

He has been active in a number of areas in the ward - notably his local residents' association and the Labour Party. He has also been chair of the Hampstead group of the Ramblers Association, and currently does voluntary work for them in Hackney and Tower Hamlets His first big experience of election campaigning came in 1992 when Glenda Jackson won Hampstead and Highgate from the Tories.

But he was attracted to Labour politics due to a lifetime's involvement in the National Union of Journalists. He was an officer in several branches -- including Paris -- before being elected to the National Executive.

He began his journalistic career in North Devon -- his home county, before going to Grimsby and then to an international news agency in France. For this he worked for 15 months in Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1970s. On return to England he joined the BBC World Service where he worked until his retirement.

His son Thomas attended Brookfield Primary and William Ellis Secondary schools. His wife Olga has been involved in the Kenwood Ladies Pond Association on Hampstead Heath among several local activities.