INTERVIEW
Meet the Island's new High
Sheriff - Claire Locke
When Claire Locke moved to the Island
in 1990 with husband Glyn she had
designs on running her own business.
After a fleeting thought of opening a cafe
in Yarmouth, Claire decided to develop
the experience she had already gained,
importing Italian fashion into the UK.
Within a few years Claire and Glyn’s
business venture was in full flow;
a multi-million pound company
marketing high-quality Italian clothes
and accessories under the ‘Artigiano’
brand. It proved a hugely successful
venture that she and Glyn continued
to develop until they finally sold their
catalogue, mail-order and eventually
internet company in 2006.
Now Claire is relishing a different type
of challenge for the next 12 months that of High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight.
And she promised: “During my year I
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"The business was
combining economics
with my love of
clothing, retail and of
Italy, where I spent a lot
of time as a teenager."
will do my best to do what I can for the
Island, and meet and appreciate the
many people who do voluntary work to
keep things moving in so may ways.
“I want to celebrate al l the fantastic
things about the Island, because it has
gone through a difficult time, but we
must not lose sight of all the wonderful
people and things we have here. It is
a very special place, and we are very
fortunate.”
Claire was born in Worcestershire and
lived in several areas of the country with
her family, because of her father’s work
as a business executive in engineering.
The family eventually settled in
Henley-on-Thames where she met
and married Glyn, a former Olympic
oarsmen, had a boat building business,
making world-class single sculling boats,
used at the famous Henley Regatta.
Claire was already working closely with
several Italian fashion companies, until
they opted for a change of lifestyle, with
Glyn selling his business. She said: “We
moved to the Island for a better quality
of life. We had one baby, and another on