I was born in Islington and growing up in the borough, I developed a passion for theatre and performing arts at school. However, as a young black, Asian and minority ethnic person raised by a single mother in social housing, I was unaware of and therefore unable to access some of the country's finest and best-known cultural destinations, despite their being right on my doorstep.

I am now the lead member for Children and Young People in Islington, a borough with the highest level of child poverty in London (47%) and ranked fourth highest nationally. I am acutely aware of the barriers including child poverty, overcrowding at home and unemployment, which continue to prevent too many young people from reaping the many benefits that cultural enrichment can deliver.