Bridport Town Mayor

 

 

 

My family moved to Bridport when I was about eight years old and my parents, soon after, opened a gentlemen’s hairdressing salon in Barrack Street, where we lived. The shop was called Andre’s, after my father it was situated where the Green Yard cafe now stands.

 

I attended the County Primary school in St Andrews Road and after that, Colfox School. In those days some of the first-year pupils went to King Street School. The clever A and B stream students went straight to the main school. The rest of us went to the main school in the second year. In those days, the 60s, we still had a train station and we used to, quite often, go on school trips taking over a whole train.  Imagine that now! One memorable day trip was Oxford – what a super day we had!

 

At Colfox my musical sideline career started, and many bands followed and have carried on up to this day. From about the third year at Colfox my family moved to West Bay on the west cliff where I lived for about 10 years. I met my wife Janice at school and when we got married we moved to West Allington where we are now.

 

I had a fishing boat at West Bay for many, many years called the Dorset Lad. It was a lovely 20-foot wooden boat made by Mears of Seaton. I used it mostly for lobster and crab fishing and netting. On the work front, I joined the South Western Electricity Board as an apprentice electrician when I left school and spent 20 happy years there. When I left S.W.E.B. I had a stint of acting, mostly BBC TV work. small parts, background work and commercials. After 10 years I came back to reality and started my own very successful electrical business which carried on until I retired. Now two sons and two grandsons later I thought that it was about time that I gave something back to this wonderful town of ours.

 

Two years ago, the Town Council did some reorganisation and increased the number of Councillors for Bridport Town Council so I decided to stand for election in the Bridport West and Allington Ward and was elected. I spent my second year as Deputy Mayor and now, in my Mayoral year, I am eager to do all I possibly can to promote Bridport, both in in the town, supporting the many events and functions that we have throughout the year and across the county.

 

For my Mayoral year I will be supporting 2 charities, these are The Harmony Centre and Bridport Youth & Community Centre (BYCC)

 

Jonathan Bourbon