About Me

I am Kashmire Darren Singh Hawker - a BA (Hons) Politics Graduate of Sheffield Hallam University from 2019, a resident of the City of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands and have since 2011 have been a representative of young people, within a great number of forms.

I am 27 years old, who has been twice diagnosed with Autism and along with being the first within my family to complete a University degree, I have twice spoken within the annual House of Lords Chamber Event in 2015 and 2016, once nailed BBC Question Time and know the feelings of many election defeats - in part thanks to Sheffield Hallam Students' Union and electors in the West of my city!

Employment wise, I am proud to be the systems Change and Inclusion Admin Assistant at the West Midlands Combined Authority based in the Employment, Health, Skills and Communities (EHSC) directorate, which is supporting the wide ranging and important Inclusive Communities and Equality related work led by the WMCA.

Most previously, I was Commonwealth Games Legacy Project Officer, based within the WMCA's Strategy, Economy and Net Zero (SENZ) directorate, which is helped bring to life the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund and felt perfect, having before that being the Administrator, for the Ceremonies, Culture and Queens Baton Relay division at the Organising Committee of Birmingham 2022.

I also currently hold various voluntary positions - as a Member of the West Midlands Trains (WMT) Stakeholder Equality Group, Associate at Changing Our Lives in the Black Country, Advisory Board Member of Solutions for the Planet, Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club's EDI Advisory Group, and a Silverstone Circuit Volunteer Race Maker! More latterly, I was a Member of and Co-Chair of the West Midlands Young Combined Authority (WMYCA).

I am also a Member of The Labour Party and Labour's sister in The Co-operative Party, who has stood in City of Wolverhampton Council Elections since 2021 and came just 46 votes off being elected in the Penn ward, having received 1,550 votes and a percentage of 41.30% on May 4th 2023 and just 77 votes off in 2024, having got 1,656 votes and 43.25%. I also hold memberships of trade union Community, The Fabian Society, Humanist UK, the National Autistic Society and the Wolves 1877 Supporters' Trust.

Outside of political life and representation, I support Wolverhampton Wanderers, am pretty big fan of the currently resting girl group Little Mix - of which having seen them 8 times on tour (two of those whilst working in the Summer of 2018) and meeting them in 2015, which feels completely un-embarrassing to say; alongside a full blown love of Steps (also met in September 2021 and August 2022), ABBA and more recently Taylor Swift. I also and with great excitement watch Formula 1, love travelling on the railways (most days) and am a Parkrun regular, with my current record 5K time being 25:34 on August 17th 2024 at Wolverhampton parkrun at Wolverhampton West Park. My 10K PB is 56:44, set on May 5th 2024 at the AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run.

My ultimate aim would be to serve as Mayor of the West Midlands and show what a humbled, empowered Autistic guy, who started with hardly any financial support - can achieve for the people of our incredible region.