I am Fiona Cooke.

I was born and raised in the Herefordshire countryside with three siblings at my side. Being the youngest of four and having a sister who had her first child while still living in the family home, I have had a tremendous amount to do with little ones from a very young age.


Although my profession has involved a great deal of travelling to a range of fascinating cities and countries, I have continued to live and bring up my own children in my home village. I, myself, have two grown-up daughters, whom I had at the age of 22 and 24. Since having my first, I have learnt so much about being a parent and how much a mother’s life can change. However, I absolutely love being a mum and adore both of my girls very much. Being a mum really is the best job in the world.

Due to having my children prior to pursuing my career, I initially had a part-time job at a veterinary ophthalmology clinic. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this line of work, particularly caring for the animals, I decided that, after 8 years, I wanted to study.


After having completed an access to higher education course, entailing a range of subjects, I was able to apply for a midwifery degree. In 2002, I was over the moon to be accepted at Staffordshire University to study Midwifery. The long hours of hard work – balancing schooling and parenting – had finally paid off.