LIFE AFTER POLITICS

"Is there life after politics?" This is the question I put to Sheila Leslie-Miller recently. She was asked to stand as a District Councillor 13 years ago and the rest, as they say, is history. Sheila has never seen herself as a political animal only wanting to try and put something back into a community in which she has been very happy for the last 30 years. As we all know in life it is never possible to please all the people all of the time, but Sheila always tried to do what she considered to be the best in the circumstances that prevailed.

Sheila came to live at 'Cross Bank House' in the centre of Kibworth 30 years ago as a young mother with four children, three boys and a girl. Her mother had recently come to live in Rectory Lane and it was decided that she would sell her house and move into 'Cross Bank House' as well. As a recently widowed young woman (Sheila's husband was in the RAF and had been killed in a flying accident) the financial and practical help provided by her mother was invaluable. The house was in a terrible state but with 17 rooms everyone was able to have their space. Sheila says that she will be eternally grateful to her mother for her help and support. "Life for a widowed mother is difficult now but it was even more difficult in the days when I first moved to Kibworth". With her mother able to help look after the house, Sheila was able to carve out a life for herself and become the breadwinner as a Home Economics teacher at Robert Smythe Upper School in Market Harborough, a post which she held for 21 years.

Involvement in the broader local community began with her becoming only the second ever woman Parish Councillor for Kibworth Beauchamp, a position which she held for 24 years. When her political career came to an end she felt "cut off at the knees" and asked herself what she was going to do with her life. It quickly dawned on her how involved she had become in the whole scene of local politics and a clear level of frustration developed at not being aware anymore of exactly what was going on. She realised how difficult it is for an ordinary citizen to get things done. Fortunately involvement in certain groups has remained, she is a representative of the Harborough District Council on: 'The East Midlands Rail Forum', 'The Foxton Forum', 'The Market Harborough Education Foundation' and 'The Harborough District Sports Association'. Even though Sheila is no longer a member of the District Council she was asked, if she would represent the Council on the above mentioned bodies, with the agreement of all the Council members. She attends each of the meetings together with a full Council member. Membership of the management group of the 'Harborough Citizens Advice Bureau' also remains and she attended the AGM of the National Bureau in York last year. Interest and involvement in railways has grown over the years and she is now LANRAC's policy officer. Sheila still very much hopes that a 'Sprinter Link' between Nottingham and Bedford will become a reality and that Kibworth will once again have a station. A great interest in canals has developed from her days as a member of the District Council's 'Tourism Working Party' through which she was invited to the 'National Canal Rally' at Dudley in 1991. At Sheila's instigation the second 'Festival of Boats' was organized at Market Harborough in 1992. Involvement now consists of membership of the 'Old Union Canal Society'. Sheila was proud and delighted to be asked by Mike Beech and Mary Matts to become a trustee of the 'Foxton Inclined Plane Trust and Museum', this has also led on to her becoming Minute Secretary for the Trust's meetings and to her being asked to help at the Museum during holiday periods. An appreciation of the Arts has grown and developed through membership of the 'Kibworth Art Lovers Society', a most enjoyable visit to the Tate Gallery having been just undertaken.

In the past, Sheila was a member of the WI for 16 years and an active tennis player. Now with more time on her hands she has returned to playing tennis after a 15 year absence, even surprising herself that she could still run around the court rather well. Also on the sporting front, she has started playing 'Short Tennis' at the Community Centre in Kibworth. The other sporting love in her life is golf, which she has been playing since she was 16 years old. Membership of the Kibworth Golf Club began in 1968 and this year sees her as the Vice Captain of 'Leicestershire & Rutland County Veteran Ladies Golf Association' with a move to Captain next year. The whole area of women's rights, for which she has campaigned all her life, is particularly relevant to golf and as Captain next year she intends to make her presence known. A very big and growing element in her life is her family. All of her five grandchildren live south of London so she is able to indulge her passion for trains when visiting them. One of her sons has followed in his father's footsteps by learning to fly and now runs an aviation magazine in South Africa, taking the aerial photographs and writing many of the articles himself.

It would seem then that there is definitely 'life after politics', in fact a very full, active and rewarding life. I doubt very much that Sheila is ever bored or indeed that she is even aware that such a word exists.

Top

Back

Any comments or question please e-mail us @

stephen.poyzer@which.net or jemeny@globalnet.co.uk