WAP rents the ground floor and basement of
Wiveliscombe House, its registered office, from the current owners
John & Yvette Harris who purchased the building
specifically so that the
Community Office could be housed there; the current rent is £5000
per annum. They have indicated that should the town wish
to purchase the property they may do so and WAP may rent
the building without time constraint and without the
burden of a full repairing lease. WAP has been the
catalyst and instigator of the recent regeneration
activity which focuses on the Market & Coastal Towns
Initiative/Ten Parishes and is recognised by the South West Regional Development
Agency as an accountable body through which funds will be
passed.
The current serving members of the WAP executive are
shown below with a brief summary of their backgrounds:
Peter Berman MA (Oxon)
Secretary Secretary of the Civic Society, Peter worked as
a Solicitor in Local Government and was Chief Executive
of
Taunton Deane Borough Council for fifteen years. He has lived in
Wiveliscombe for 30 years and has been Secretary of the
Twinning Association since its foundation in 1985. He is
a Non Executive Director of the Taunton Deane Primary
Care Trust. He enjoys
walking and amateur dramatics.
John Bone
Independent Borough Councillor for Wiveliscombe &
West Deane and proprietor of
Hurstone House, a self catering country house and Hurstone Studios,
home to a group of contemporary artists and craftspeople.
John has lived and worked at Waterrow since 1965, his
interests are Heritage, Conservation, The Arts and
Community Issues, particularly those affecting young
people.
Brian Collingridge BA
As Head of Kingsmead School in Wiveliscombe from 1973 to
1996 Brian was responsible for its conversion from
Secondary Modern to Comprehensive to Community School
including the addition of a Sports Hall. He is Vice-Chair
of the Parish Council and Buisiness Group, Vice Chair of
the Civic Society, Chair of Governors of the Primary
School, on the Messenger editorial team and Regeneration
Fund Coordinator for the Parish Council 1996 to present.
His interests are travel, choral singing and
wood-turning.
Edward Bloxham - Treasurer
John Harris - Chair
Chair of the
Wiveliscombe Area Business Group and a member of several Borough economic development
groups. John's background is from business and since 1974
he has owned and run a number of companies in both the
service and manufacturing sectors. He has travelled
extensively over the years and now lives on the outskirts
of
Fitzhead where he has resided for the last 25 years; his
interests are outdoor activities, sport and local issues.
Pauline Homeshaw
A Wiveliscombe resident for 21 years, Pauline has a sales
and editorial background. She is Chair of the
Wiveliscombe Civic Society and also sits on the editorial committee of
the Wiveliscombe Messenger. She is county publicity officer for a
SSAFA Forces Help and Parish Secretary for St Andrew's Church and her main
interest is gardening.
Dixon Luxton
Chair of the Parish Council, Church Warden and Chair of
Wiveliscombe Consolidated Charities, Dixon was born and raised in the town and there is
little he does not know
about the area. His background is as a senior civil servant having
retired as Director of
Transport in Exeter. His interests are the Arts and local issues.
Mary Whitmarsh
Vice Chair Independent Borough Councillor for
Wiveliscombe and West Deane, ex- Mayor of Taunton Deane,
Parish Councillor, former Chair for 13 years.
Long-standing associations with the Cub Scouts,
Recreation Ground, The Twinning Association, Historical Society and the
Civic Society, presently Chair of The Community Centre.
Mary's background was in teaching and her interests are
countryside and environmental issues, the local
community, running a small holding specialising in rare
breed sheep and poultry; she is a member of the Rare
Breeds Survival Trust.
Guy Wilkes
Gareth Hoskins
