interview
Island Life - April/May 2010
Once a gaffer
always a Gaffer
As a fashion designer, she was often the gaffer.
Now DEBBIE COTTON tells Peter White about a
different ‘Gaffers’ adventure – and much more.
As diverse as they may sound, fashion design
whirlwind life, Debbie thought about easing
and horses have been two of the big passions
back on the throttle. But each time a new and
in the busy life of Debbie Cotton.
interesting project has been thrown her way –
She talks about both with equal enthusiasm,
and how she managed to combine the two,
and she is not the type to resist a challenge.
One of her big ventures these days is to
allowing her to offset the pressures of a
oversee the running of the Old Gaffers’ Festival
business career that took her to all corners of
in her home town of Yarmouth – a gathering
the world by returning to the tranquillity of life
always recognised as one of the major social
around the stables.
events of the Island calendar.
Debbie recalls how she often landed at
She fell into the role almost by accident seven
Heathrow Airport from a visit to the Far East in
years ago, admitting she knew nothing about
the early hours of the morning, take a taxi dash
boats, and never pretended to, but had built
to Lymington, a ferry across to Yarmouth, and
the reputation of ‘being good at organising
by early afternoon she would be riding out with
things’. Having been invited to join the
the Isle of Wight Hunt.
committee by then chairperson Pat Lester, she
Several times during what has been a
willingly agreed, and soon took over as chair.
Photo: Heading home on Polly after a wonderful day out with the Isle of Wight Hunt
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