Address
23 Chineway Gardens, Ottery St Mary, Devon, EX11 1JG
Phone Number
07572 923024
Email
Register of Interests
Biography
My wife of 36 years Jules, our twins Ash & Hannah and I moved here in 2003. I was born and bred in Birmingham, but after one visit to Ottery we were hooked.
I work as a Learning Coach Champion for Trauma Informed & Restorative practice at Belong School Devon in Exeter. We have 50 young people aged 14 – 16 who all have an Educational Health Care Plan with most students diagnosed with autism.
For more than 15 years I ran the Ottery Scout group and worked with a great team of adult volunteers and really understand the power of having motivated individuals with a single purpose. I saw the Council elected in 2019 contained lots of new, motivated individuals and I felt it was time that I put myself forward to help make a difference and was co-opted as a Councillor in August 2020.
At the start of Covid lockdown I was delighted to join as a volunteer with Ottery Community volunteers and spent many weeks collecting and delivering prescriptions for local residents as well as helping to pull together a directory of businesses that had started providing home deliveries as residents were being encouraged to stay home.
During most of Covid I was working as the students I work with are all classed as vulnerable so we’re able to attend school whilst others had to do lessons at home. Like lots of people I had to get used to using Zoom for meetings especially for the Council.
I am keen to move forward with a number of key projects started during my last term. Working alongside Cllr Lucas we have introduced a youth service back into Ottery working out of the old Station. We have continued to work on developing this provision as well as working with other great organisations to embed good quality services and support for the young people in the parish.
We have also been working on improving the current skate park provision to ensure that the young people in Ottery do not need to travel to other towns to use a skate/BMX park.
My other priorities are moving forward with regeneration within Ottery. We have a great town but we cannot stand still. We have already taken a major step looking at traffic flows around the town that will help inform any improvements we want. The Council want to make our town a destination for residents and those who live in surrounding towns as well as tourists.
I work as a Learning Coach Champion for Trauma Informed & Restorative practice at Belong School Devon in Exeter. We have 50 young people aged 14 – 16 who all have an Educational Health Care Plan with most students diagnosed with autism.
For more than 15 years I ran the Ottery Scout group and worked with a great team of adult volunteers and really understand the power of having motivated individuals with a single purpose. I saw the Council elected in 2019 contained lots of new, motivated individuals and I felt it was time that I put myself forward to help make a difference and was co-opted as a Councillor in August 2020.
At the start of Covid lockdown I was delighted to join as a volunteer with Ottery Community volunteers and spent many weeks collecting and delivering prescriptions for local residents as well as helping to pull together a directory of businesses that had started providing home deliveries as residents were being encouraged to stay home.
During most of Covid I was working as the students I work with are all classed as vulnerable so we’re able to attend school whilst others had to do lessons at home. Like lots of people I had to get used to using Zoom for meetings especially for the Council.
I am keen to move forward with a number of key projects started during my last term. Working alongside Cllr Lucas we have introduced a youth service back into Ottery working out of the old Station. We have continued to work on developing this provision as well as working with other great organisations to embed good quality services and support for the young people in the parish.
We have also been working on improving the current skate park provision to ensure that the young people in Ottery do not need to travel to other towns to use a skate/BMX park.
My other priorities are moving forward with regeneration within Ottery. We have a great town but we cannot stand still. We have already taken a major step looking at traffic flows around the town that will help inform any improvements we want. The Council want to make our town a destination for residents and those who live in surrounding towns as well as tourists.