Peter Ratcliffe

Peter Ratcliffe

Mayor

Peter was born in Overstrand, Norfolk in 1961 and is the youngest of four brothers. Educated at the Overstrand Belfry School and Cromer Secondary Modern School’s and after school at the Kings Lynn Technical College.

Having previously lived in Overstand, Cromer and Lower Gresham, Peter has lived in Sheringham since 1999.

Peter has four children, two now grown-up and from his marriage to Amber, two boys who attend the Sheringham Primary and High Schools. Peter also has 3 grandchildren.

He retired in May 2019 having served 37 years in the offshore gas industry, his final assignment as manager at one of the onshore terminals at Bacton.

Peter recognises the responsibility in undertaking the role of Mayor and Chair of the Council at a particularly challenging time, but his commitment is to service to the staff of the Council, fellow Councillors and the Sheringham community and to engage in effective communication with the Sheringham community

Email: peter.ratcliffe@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Sue Brisbane

Sue Brisbane

Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Employment Committee

Sue has lived in Sheringham with her husband and two sons since 2004 and she sees the town as a unique and special place.

She has recently retired as a senior manager in education having worked in the teaching profession for nearly 30 years. She has a strong commitment to public services and is active in campaigning for fairness and equality locally and more widely.

Sue is a passionate advocate for measures to address the climate emergency. She lists her other priorities as supporting community services and working in partnership with the people of the town to achieve the best possible outcomes. She is keen to ensure that local people have a say in shaping the future of the town. Sue is also committed to protecting health and social care services and the most vulnerable in our community. She joined Sheringham Town Council to play a part in making a difference to the town and wants to see the Council providing the best possible service to the people it serves.

Email: sue.brisbane@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Madeleine Ashcroft

Madeleine Ashcroft

Chair of the Finance & Governance Committee

Madeleine was honoured to have been Mayor of Sheringham from 2018 – May 2021 and will continue to work for the benefit of all residents of the town as she has for over 15 years as a Town Councillor. Recently elected as a Director of the Norfolk Association of Local Councils (NALC) she will be active in promoting their ideals and well-being initiatives to assist all local town and parish councils in Norfolk.

Her interests lie in planning for the future and implementing the changes necessary in order to ensure continuity and sustainability of services to Sheringham’s residents as well as promoting and developing infrastructure to ensure Sheringham’s growth and relevance in the future for the benefit of future generations of our town’s people, young and older.

Born in Birmingham Madeleine spent her childhood abroad as an Army child. Her teenage years were spent in Bournemouth and Cambridge. Married to Rex, they have lived in Cambridge, Harrogate, Harlow and Amsterdam before moving permanently to Sheringham in 1999. They have 4 children and 7 grandchildren. Madeleine unashamedly admits to being a “late developer” having discovered “education” in her 40’s which resulted in a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Studies and a BA (Hons) in Social Science both from the Open University, followed by a Post Graduate Diploma in Geography Health and Disease from Anglia Ruskin University.

Madeleine has been Company Secretary and a Director of a successful International Financial Services company for the last 25 years. She has always been interested in politics and has held many senior local, area and regional positions of responsibility.

Madeleine is involved with both our town twinning associations, has visited Ottendorf twice and acts as a host for visitors. She is on the committee for both the Ottendorf and the Muzillac Twinning Associations. She is also a Trustee of the Sheringham Little Theatre.

Email: madeleine.ashcroft@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Philip Bailey

Philip Bailey

Deputy Chair of the Finance & Governance Committee

Philip has over 30 years Banking and Finance experience.

He still works for an Accountancy firm specialising in Business Rescue and Insolvency.

Philip attended school at Beeston Hall. He lives in Sheringham and is married to Alison who is a Paediatric Nurse. They have 2 grown up children.

Philip is keen to work with different groups in Sheringham and is on the Carnival Committee and Experience Sheringham working group.
He is enthusiastic to get younger members of the community to become more active in decision making and to feel their interests are voiced. He has been a school governor and has worked with Youth groups.
He has also been a County Councillor so is used to many of the challenges that communities and local authorities face.

Previously he has been a member of the Territorial Army for 10 years. Graduated from The City University in London with a Bsc Hons. Degree in Psychology.

Email: Philip.bailey@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Jon Dorey

Jon Dorey

Chair of the Planning Committee

Email: jon.dorey@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Colin Heinink

Colin Heinink

Colin has been a teacher for over 18 years, first in primary and then in special needs. He currently teaches at Sheringham Woodfields special school. He previously taught in schools in London.

Colin moved to Sheringham in 2017 and is really pleased to be bringing up his 2 children in such a beautiful part of the world.

Colin has volunteered with several charities including as a listening volunteer with Samaritans and as a befriender with Age UK. He has been involved in many amdram productions in London as well as singing in a choir and playing the trumpet in a band.

For 6 years Colin thoroughly enjoyed collecting requests and DJ-ing on hospital radio and is also District Councillor for Sheringham South ward.

Email: colin.heinink@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Ian Kime

Ian Kime

Deputy Chair of the Assets Committee

Ian was born in Lincoln in 1956 then moved and educated in Nottingham, followed by an apprenticeship with the Nation Coal Board to become an electrician. He started his own business in 1985 dealing with electrical submersible pumps.

Ian and Linda have 5 children together and have been married 40 years. They also have 6 grandchildren and a dog, Eric.

Ian has been visiting Sheringham most of his adult life enjoying family holidays and now is semi-retired and has lived in Sheringham for 11 years. He has helped with the Sheringham Carnival for the past 8 years and hopes to continue to help Sheringham move on and grow by serving on the Town Council.

Email: Ian.kime@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Martin Langsdon

Chair of the Community & Climate Committee

Martin was born in London where he attended school and then worked for a charity near Piccadilly Circus. He went to University in Kent and his first job after this was in social care and education welfare. He has been married for 40 years and has two grown-up sons.

Martin worked as a schoolteacher for 22 years and then as a university lecturer in Norwich and also as a psychotherapist. He is now semi-retired. He is a governor at Sheringham High School where his two sons completed their education.

Martin moved to Sheringham in 2004 and he considers that this town is the best place he has ever lived. He sees Sheringham as a real community with an amazing blend of natural resources, local history, useful amenities, and residents that care about the town.

He is committed to the development of local services, to reversal of the climate emergency and to local jobs and affordable housing.

Email: martin.langsdon@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Cliff Morris

Deputy Chair of the Climate & Community and the Employment Committee

Email: cliff.morris@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

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Peter Pegnall

Peter moved to Sheringham in 2010 largely to care for his mother, who lives in Lyng. His mother is still alive, living independently with visiting care, even though she is 96 years old and technically blind.

He is a poet, the author or 8 volumes of his own poetry. He is also a writer for The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, amongst other less august journals. Before 1995, he was a head of English at two Secondary Schools and Literature Officer for the Brighton Festival. He began an Anglo- Portuguese Poetry festival in 2000, which still functions. It is unique in being the equally devoted to the two languages and cultures.

In Sheringham, Peter took poetry to three care homes, St Nicholas, Sun Court and Westgate. He also set up poetry readings at The Funky Mackerel café, The Little Theatre and The Sitting Room. He currently runs monthly events at the Belfry in Overstrand. He lectures all over the world and also at Gresham’s School, he taught Latin at Fakenham Academy for two years before lockdown. The course was cancelled in the wake of extracurricular changes.

Peter has one daughter, for whom he was a single parent and two granddaughters.

Email: Peter.pegnall@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Richard Shepherd

Richard Shepherd

Born in Weybourne in 1942 Dick spent many happy years as a village boy at his Grandparents home. He considers himself a Norfolk man and is extremely proud of it. In 1947 he moved to Sheringham and in 1954 the whole family moved to Hong Kong where Dick’s father was stationed with the RAF.

Having learned to sail in Hong Kong as a young skipper it gave Dick a taste for the sea and when the family returned from Hong Kong in 1957 he joined the Royal Navy, later on serving with the Special forces.

Dick married in 1978 and has 2 daughters.

Following time spent with the Royal Navy, Dick came back to Norfolk and joined the Police and after 16 years, he retired in 1998.

He was asked to stand as a District Councillor for Sheringham and stood two elections during which he was Chairman of the District Council.

Email: Richard.Shepherd@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

Jeremy Stubbs

Jeremy Stubbs

Chair of the Assets Committee & Deputy Chair of the Planning Committee

He has lived in North Norfolk for over 50 years with most of it being in Sheringham. Educated at Cromer Secondary Modern school and Norwich city college he spent his working life in engineering and manufacturing with the 20 years running Stubbs Mugs, based in Sheringham, supplying shops, hotels etc throughout the UK and Europe. He retired in 2021.

Married to Jane they have three grown up children and three grandchildren most of who live locally. Jane established Creativity in 2000, which is now run by daughter in law Charlotte. Their son Ben opened Stubbys pizza in 2021 to much acclaim and Jeremy can sometimes be found serving tables there.
He has spent time with youth organisations including the scout movement (as scout, leader and chairman) and youth rugby coaching at Holt.

To relax he loves to cycle, walk and spend time with his family. He also has a boat on the broads where he and Jane escape for some peace and quiet.
Sheringham and North Norfolk has changed much since he first came here in the late 60’s. It is, however, a fantastic place to live, bring up your family and visit and continues to positively evolve.
He joined the council after retiring and hopes his experiences can add value to STC and thus Sheringham itself.

Email: Jeremy.stubbs@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

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Tony Worboys

Tony has been a resident of Sheringham for over 47 years and has worked in various branches of engineering during his working life.

Email: Tony.worboys@sheringhamtowncouncil.gov.uk