Former MEP standing for South Devon
Caroline Voaden is the former CEO of Devon Rape Crisis and served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2019-2020. She was the last leader of the Liberal Democrat party in Europe.
She lives in Totnes with her husband Stuart. Her two grown-up daughters now live in London.
Caroline began her career after leaving Sheffield University as a Reuters journalist, then later worked as a freelance editor and ran her own business in Totnes.
Her experience of running a small business on a traditional high street, competing against online shopping giants, gave Caroline a gritty understanding of the pressures faced by those running small businesses in a rural community.
Her work as a journalist led her to live in six European countries and she speaks several languages. Caroline worked in both English and French in the European Parliament.
Caroline was CEO of Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services (DRCSAS) – Devon’s main provider of support services to those who have experienced sexual violence or abuse.
At 34, Caroline was widowed when her first husband Nick died of oesophageal cancer. Their girls were 17 months and 3 years old. She joined and was later elected chair of a national charity that supports young widowed men and women – WAY, Widowed and Young.
Caroline is only too aware of the long-term effects that illness and bereavement have on the wider family, from the impact on mental health, to bereavement support and benefits and the challenges of being a lone parent. Caroline raised her girls alone for eight years following Nick's death. She has written a book about her experience, ‘If there’s anything I can do…'
