Address
5 Raleigh Road, Ottery St Mary, EX11 1TG
Phone Number
07834 343667
Email
Register of Interests
Biography
I am an Essex boy by birth and was living on a farm in the South Downs while working in Barcelona running an airline business during the week before moving to Ottery.
On my second day in Devon I met Steph and we are now married with 2 boys – Eric (2) and Reggie (4). I have visited over 70 countries and 44 of the 50 American states, but now think Tipton is the most beautiful place to go to with my over affectionate hound, Dougal.
I still have the airline business but work remotely when I need to, but I have almost no day to day involvement. I am now CEO of Citizens Advice East Devon who have offices in Honiton and Exmouth, but work all over the district.
I became a Councillor in 2019 the same year my first child Reggie was born. I decided to get involved in community groups and help the town be somewhere fantastic for him to grow up in! I took over as chair of the Business Forum and was then approached to run for Town Council, which I was told was a couple of hours each month!
My first project as a Councillor was to declare a climate emergency. We did this in June 2019 and we were the second council in Devon to do so. This led to the formation of Greener Ottery alongside the Council and we spent many months advising and supporting town and parish councils across East Devon in taking action on climate change. Very little of this was visible to the public, but a lot of progress was made.
Then Covid hit. I was contacted by a resident in early March 2020 and organised a meeting at the Council Offices of local health providers and support groups. Stewart Lucas, Vicky Johns and I decided immediately to form the Ottery Community Volunteers and start a town wide response to what was clearly going to be a life changing event. We organised a team of over 100 people who did whatever was possible to help the community.
As the first lockdown ended we looked at what projects we could do next and saw food poverty as something that worked well with the Greener Ottery beliefs of preventing food waste. The Larder is approaching its third birthday and over 250 people visit each week to help themselves to free food, school uniforms, children’s clothes, toys, books and nappies plus other sanitary items.
After my recent re-election as Councillor I’d like us to complete those projects that we have already put in place much of the ground work and preparation for and see them to come to fruition. These include Youth Club, MUGA, Parish regeneration and tourism. There is a lot of good stuff ready to go!
On my second day in Devon I met Steph and we are now married with 2 boys – Eric (2) and Reggie (4). I have visited over 70 countries and 44 of the 50 American states, but now think Tipton is the most beautiful place to go to with my over affectionate hound, Dougal.
I still have the airline business but work remotely when I need to, but I have almost no day to day involvement. I am now CEO of Citizens Advice East Devon who have offices in Honiton and Exmouth, but work all over the district.
I became a Councillor in 2019 the same year my first child Reggie was born. I decided to get involved in community groups and help the town be somewhere fantastic for him to grow up in! I took over as chair of the Business Forum and was then approached to run for Town Council, which I was told was a couple of hours each month!
My first project as a Councillor was to declare a climate emergency. We did this in June 2019 and we were the second council in Devon to do so. This led to the formation of Greener Ottery alongside the Council and we spent many months advising and supporting town and parish councils across East Devon in taking action on climate change. Very little of this was visible to the public, but a lot of progress was made.
Then Covid hit. I was contacted by a resident in early March 2020 and organised a meeting at the Council Offices of local health providers and support groups. Stewart Lucas, Vicky Johns and I decided immediately to form the Ottery Community Volunteers and start a town wide response to what was clearly going to be a life changing event. We organised a team of over 100 people who did whatever was possible to help the community.
As the first lockdown ended we looked at what projects we could do next and saw food poverty as something that worked well with the Greener Ottery beliefs of preventing food waste. The Larder is approaching its third birthday and over 250 people visit each week to help themselves to free food, school uniforms, children’s clothes, toys, books and nappies plus other sanitary items.
After my recent re-election as Councillor I’d like us to complete those projects that we have already put in place much of the ground work and preparation for and see them to come to fruition. These include Youth Club, MUGA, Parish regeneration and tourism. There is a lot of good stuff ready to go!