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Sophy Gardner MBE
Sophy Gardner is a retired Wing Commander and is standing to be a Member of Parliament representing Gloucester in the May 2015 General Election. She has been awarded the MBE for Service in the RAF and nominated as Women of the Year.

Education
Sophy attended Putney High School and Kingston Grammar School followed by Newnham College Cambridge, where she gained a MA in Geography. She has since gained a post graduate diploma in Strategic Management from Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and an MPhil in European Studies.

RAF Career
On joining the RAF, Sophys first posting was to RAF Lyneham, and then onto HMS Invincible, which deployed to the Balkans in 2000. Subsequent to this, Sophy was in charge of RAF Air Transport and Refulling Assets, which time period included the attacks on the World Trade Centre as well as Afghanistan. As a result of her service during this period, Sophy was awarded the MBE.

In 2003 Sophy was posted to become Personal Staff Officer (PSO) to Commander UK Forces Iraq followed by developing US-UK Air Force liaison working with the Pentagon. In 2006 she deployed to Helmand province, Afghanistan, to assist the arrival of the UK forces She then attend the Defence Academy (UK), Shrivenham, before being posted to the MOD in Media and Communications. In 2009, Sophy was nominated as Women of the Year for her achievements in her career to date.

Her final posting was as a Wing Commander, commanding Operations Wing at RAF Valley and was the first woman to hold that post.

Post RAF
Sophy launched and is the Director of Prism Strategies Limited in 2011.

Sophy was Event Director of the Opening of the Bomber Command Memorial on 28 June 2012 for which she was awarded a Chief of the Air Staff’s Commendation.

Politics
November 2012 – Sophy was shortlisted alongside Sarah Champion for the Rotherham by-election where Sarah was selected.

In April 2013 Sophy was selected by Gloucester Labour Party to represent them in the 2015 election.

Other interests
Sophy is the President of the Gloucester Branch of the Royal British Legion, a member of the Cooperative Party and the union UNITE.