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. 30 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. Island Life - www.islandlife.tv