Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2007 | Page 30
life
INTERVIEW
Lora pictured with husband John at
Sandpipers Hotel earlier this year.
Favourite Restaurant:
Pointer Inn. I love the
quality of the food, but
I’d love to go over to St
Helen’s but I haven’t had
time. China China is
another good favourite.
Royal London Yacht
Club is great for food.
Best shop:
Marks and Spencer for
food. I don’t have time
to shop. I’d love to
support local produce
and if I had the time to go
to a market and amble
around, I really would,
but I’d love to be rich
enough to do my weekly
shop in M&S. I don’t
buy imported produce.
Best island beach:
A private bay between
Thorness and Gurnard
I walk my dogs there
every day. The sand is so
white and I love hearing
the waves crashing.
Hate about the island:
I hate over development.
I adore the farm land.
People haven’t got space
to breathe. We haven’t
got the infrastructure,
hospitals, and dentists to
accommodate 2 million
people. I would loathe to
ruin the island, particularly
if we are supposed to
be a tourist island.
Bridge from mainland:
I don’t support the
bridge theory.
Dinner with:
My mum or Winston
Churchill. He was a
strong character. How
did he remain so strong?
Invisible for one day:
An informal council cabinet
meeting to just see what is
said at informal meetings.
Best part of life:
My husband. At the end
of the day there is nothing
nicer than knowing you
have someone who fully
supports what you do, who
thinks you are adorable
and wonderful. As much
as I am his rock, he is mine.
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the troubled waters. “I used
to feel physically sick before
meetings because I never knew
what was going to be reported
in the papers,” she says.
By the second year of the
two year term, Lora had found
her feet and was running a
tight ship. Her meetings were
formal, short and sharp. “You
have to be very well briefed,
but get resolutions quickly.
Part of my job as Mayor was
to keep the calm and to make
sure all the councillors had
their say, but to make sure
they were civil to each other.”
Lora was not your
stereotypical Mayor, Lora was
a doer. No car with a flag on
for Lora, just a small allowance,
which barely covered the
cost of postage, and a small
lump sum to invite the great
and the good to a drinks
reception during Cowes Week.
As Mayor, Lora was entitled
to be on every committee
and in addition she still took
an active role in the planning
and finances committees
and was chair of the town
improvements committee.
After two years as the Mayor
of Cowes, Lora is now, via the
IW Council, responsible for
homelessness and housing for
the Town Council. “Housing
is one of the biggest issues
on this island and my role is to
listen to what the people are
saying and feed that back to
the council. I am very hands
on but I am not a cabinet
member,” she explains. “I am a
young-ish business woman, but
my qualifications aren’t enough
for me to be in the cabinet.”
Lora’s passion for the
Island still burns bright.
She believes there are two
major issues which need
resolving. Is the Isle of Wight
a tourist destination, or is
it a regeneration island to
which business should be
attracted? She doesn’t believe
it is possible to be both.
“If we are a tourist island,
then we should be following a
completely different strategy.”
“It is a vital decision. Do we
want visitors to enjoy our island
or do we want people to come
to the island bringing in big
business and spend a lot of
money living on the island.
We need to make a decision
and then we are clear in which
direction we are heading.”
Lora believes firmly in the
community and that once-amonth visitors with second
homes on the island do not
foster that. “It doesn’t sustain
our community, keep our
schools full or keep the shops
busy. It doesn’t keep our
towns and villages alive all
year,” she says pointedly.
“We need to determine where
we are heading with the island
and find out what people want.
Then we can get direction
and from there we can focus,”
says the impassioned Lora.
Lora Peacey-Wilcox, who
never for a moment expected
her life to take this path, will
never stop campaigning for
the island that she loves. She
would like better communication
with the public and give them
the chance to have their say
about the direction in which the
island is heading. “People are
very vocal about what goes on
on the island and most people
are quite passionate about
the island and about how they
feel about things,” she says.
“We value what the island
people say. But are we
listening?” she concludes.
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