Jan Cheek

{{Short description|Falkland Islands politician (born 1948)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix = The Honourable

|name = Jan Cheek

|honorific-suffix = MBE

|image = Jan Cheek, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.jpg

|alt =

|caption =

|constituency_AM = Stanley

|assembly = Falkland Islands Legislative

|majority =

|term_start = 5 November 2009

|term_end = 9 November 2017

|predecessor = Janet Robertson

|successor = Stacy Bragger

| office1 = Member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Council
for Stanley

| term_start1 = 9 October 1997

| term_end1 = 17 November 2005

| predecessor1 = Wendy Teggart

| successor1 = Janet Robertson

|birth_date = {{birth month and age|1948|2}}

|birth_place = Stanley, Falkland Islands

|death_date =

|death_place =

|restingplace =

|birthname = Janet Lynda Biggs

|nationality = British

|party = Nonpartisan

|spouse = John (died 1996)

|children = Miranda and Ros

|residence =

|alma_mater =

|occupation =

|profession =

|cabinet =

|committees =

|portfolio =

|signature =

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|website =

}}

Janet Lynda Cheek {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (née Biggs; born February 1948){{cite web|url=https://www.falklandsbiographies.org/biographies/cheek_john|website=Falklands Biography|title=Cheek, John Edward}} is a Falkland Islands politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from 2009 to 2017. Cheek won re-election in 2013 but stepped down from the assembly at the 2017 election. She was previously a Member of the Legislative Council from 1997 to 2005.{{cite web|url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/assembly/Assembly_Members.html |title=Jan Cheek bio |author= |date= |work=Falkland Islands Government |publisher=falklands.gov.fk |accessdate=9 April 2011 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216175218/http://www.falklands.gov.fk/assembly/Assembly_Members.html |archivedate=16 December 2010 }}

Biography

Jan Cheek was born in Stanley, the oldest child of Basil Biggs and Betty Rowlands.{{cite web|url=https://www.falklandsbiographies.org/biographies/biggs_betty|title=Biggs, Betty Josephine née Rowlands|website=Falklands Biography}} She spent much of her childhood in South Georgia after her father was appointed policeman and handyman for the island. For her A-Levels she was awarded a government scholarship to a study at a grammar school in Dorset. Cheek worked as a Secondary School English teacher from 1969 until 1989. She then moved to Fortuna Ltd. where she rose to become co-owner and director until her retirement in 2008.{{cite web |url=http://www.falklandnews.com/public/story.cfm?get=5531&source=3 |title=The Election Manifesto of Jan Cheek |author= Jan Cheek |date=28 October 2009 |publisher= |accessdate=9 April 2011}}

Cheek married fellow islander John Cheek (1939–1996) in 1968, with whom she had two children, Miranda and Rosalind. She then became a grandmother to Hamish (2004), Flora(2005) and Tom(2011). Following John's death in 1996, Cheek became a Trustee of the John Cheek Trust.{{cite news |title=Obituary: John Cheek |author=Harold Briley |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-john-cheek-1362660.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=10 September 1996 |accessdate=9 April 2011}}

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to the Falkland Islands.{{London Gazette|issue=62666|supp=y|page=B23|date=8 June 2019}}

References