Councillor Donna Higgins is a Town Councillor for Bury St Edmunds Town Council and represents residents of Minden Ward. Donna is a member of the Labour Party and Portfolio Holder for Family and Communities at West Suffolk Council.

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This is how she got there; Donna was born in the early 1960's in Sutton Coldfield just outside Birmingham. Her parents, proudly working class. Donna's mother descended from the Canal People of the West Midlands, whilst her father had a long career with British Leyland.

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Donna enjoyed a conventional education, going onto A levels. A year out gave her the opportunity to think about an apprenticeship in engineering, however with four A levels to her name, she studied for a further four years at Swansea University earning her a BSc. hons in Social & Economic History, before completing a P.G.C.E. to become a teacher.

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Donna's first teaching job at Mildenhall Upper School was in the subject she graduated in, however she knew that her passion was to be an all-round teacher, eventually finding her home at College Heath Middle School and started teaching years five to eight, concentrating on students with special educational needs. Gaining Special Higher-Level certificate for teaching children with additional needs, Donna became the teacher in charge of the area support centre, and later delivering courses on SEN at Cambridge University. Donna finally taught at Horringer Court Middle School for twenty-six years, becoming Assistant Head. Donna retired a year before the school closed.

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At this point in Donna's life, she had been cultivating other ideas for her next career within the Labour party. She became a councillor for the Minden Ward in 2019. The community action of the residents of Westly Road during the pandemic  is something that Donna is very proud of. The residents pulled together as a community to help one another and gave her a great opportunity to get to know her ward members.

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Donna's interest in the youth of the town means that she has particularly enjoyed working with other partners to create provisions for the youth of Bury St Edmunds, through town council funding.

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Donna does not have much down time being a "double-hatter". As a town councillor, the Mayor of Bury St Edmunds, she is alco a West Suffolk District Councillor. She says that being a councillor is her hobby, looking after her young grand-daughter regularly is the highlight of her week. Donna loves walking and particularly enjoys the Lake District and Dartmoor for holidays, whilst also visiting National Trust properties. She loves Thai food and find it difficult to refuse a slice of cake (don't we all!).

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If you would like to contact Cllr Higgins, please email mayors.office@burystedmunds-tc.gov.uk

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