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Meet Pat Thomas
Patricia Thomas has just been appointed a business member replacing Geoff Harker, who finished at the end of March after completing his maximum 8 years in office.
I was born in London and spent the first 22 years of my life there. I was a student at Kings College London and obtained an LL.B and an LL.M from the University of London . I was then fortunate to obtain my first job as a lecturer in law at Leeds University and have lived and worked in the north of England ever since except for one year in the USA as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Illinois.
I moved to Lancashire in 1968 when I got married. My husband was then a Research Fellow at the University of Lancaster but we later bought a farm, keeping cattle and sheep. He now runs a Pick-Your-Own soft fruit business with our daughter.
I returned to work in 1973 after having three children. I became a lecturer at what was originally Preston Polytechnic but became Lancashire Polytechnic and then the University of Central Lancashire . At that time the polytechnics were developing and I helped to start full-time and part-time law degrees. I became the head of the Law School in 1978. The School provided law teaching across the polytechnic for a range of courses and I have always been committed to offering opportunities for people to study at different levels and in different ways.
While at the Polytechnic I was on the Board of Visitors at Preston Prison and also became a chairman of Rent Assessment Committees, Rent Tribunals and Social Security Appeal Tribunals. I found this work very rewarding as we were dealing with many underprivileged people and I welcomed the opportunity to do more to help such people when I had the honour to be appointed to the post of Local Government Ombudsman in 1985.
As the Ombudsman dealing with complaints against local authorities in the north of England I was based in York and now that I have retired I was pleased to be offered the chance of being Governor of the College so that I can play a part in my local community again. I attended evening classes at the College some years ago and my daughter was a student so I appreciate what the College can offer the community. I am also pleased to be involved again in education.
