Candidate for Woodhouse

John Grant is happily married with two children aged seven and four and has lived in Handsworth for more than ten years. His hobbies include riding his bike and studying Go Ju Ryu Karate, although you'll rarely find him without his nose in a book. John works at Sheffield Hallam University as a Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Planning and Development. He is well versed in town planning, public transport, the activities of property professionals, Sustainable Development and Global Warming

John has been a member of the Handsworth Forum for most of this time. The Forum works to sustain the quality of life of the residents of the area through adult training and the improvement of services and opportunities for them. It also has close relations with the police, monitoring the challenges facing the area and offering practical solutions.

The Forum is currently focused on the issues of air pollution due to increasing traffic flows and redevelopment of the run-down park on St Joseph's Road. John is currently working with his children's primary school to establish a "Walking Bus", he hopes this will help reduce the significant traffic problems and safety issues caused by the "School Run" every morning.

His charitable work focuses mainly on two charities; the "Schools and Homes Energy Education Project" and the "Justice and Peace Network". He is a director of the former, which uses Renewable Energy technologies (e.g. solar panels, water wheels and wind turbines) to both spark children's interest in the subject of "Science" and educate them into the wider issues of sustainable development and global climate change. The latter is a charity which seeks to improve the wider issues of poverty, trade justice and environmental degradation both locally and internationally through active involvement, political debate and non-violent protest.

His broad knowledge of environmental issues and commitment to education is also shown through his volunteer work, as he plays an active role in "Sheffield Science Week" and "Solar Sunday: A Celebration of Solar Power". These events seek to inspire and involve people in practical projects which are both fun and educational.