Steering Group
Andy Robbins
Chairman
Andy has lived in the village for 42 years since moving from John Player & Sons in Nottingham to take up a role with Imperial Tobacco Ltd here in Bristol. He became General Marketing Manager of Imperial Tobacco but later left to set up a successful direct marketing consultancy.
He is now retired and has dedicated himself to playing golf and spending time in Portugal as well as serving as Vice Chairman of Barrow Gurney Parish Council. Andy and his family have fond memories of The Prince’s Motto when it was a “free of tie” freehold property with an owner/landlord/landlady that fostered a community spirit through the provision of a truly family friendly environment. Doreen remembered every child’s birthday and presented them with 50p on the day.
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He and his wife Ros first encountered the majority of people from the village, and close communities around, in the Motto, and formed close friendships with many.
Jim Durie
Vice Chairman
Jim has lived in the village with his family for 18 years and is passionate about the region, the importance of building strong local communities and having a good local pub.
After qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor in 1993 and practicing in commercial real estate in Hong Kong, London and Bristol he moved to broaden his experience of business, enterprise and place based economic growth serving as CEO of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce & Initiative at Business West for 21 years from 2001 to 2022. The organisation grew to become the largest chamber in the UK representing over 22,000 businesses and employers from the smallest to the largest and with a focus of making Bristol, Bath & the West of England the most prosperous & liveable city region in the UK.During his time in post, he played a role in a wide range of major projects and boards including the regeneration of Bristol Harbourside, We the Curious, Cabot Circus, Bristol Festival of Ideas, Visit West, Go Green, the creation of a Bristol Elected Mayor, Metro Bus schemes, South Bristol Link, the city region devolution deal & the creation of the West of England Combined Authority.
Now with a small portfolio of business and community building roles he is an experienced executive & non executive director working across a range of private, public and charity boards. He has long recognised both the need and responsibility for business and enterprise to take a pro-active role in helping build, sustain and improve communities.
Graham Harrison
Purchase Negotiation
Graham recently retired as Strategic Partnership Director at the National Composites Centre, one of the world's leading research and development centres helping companies design and manufacture lighter and stronger products such as ultra-large wind turbines, aircraft wings and next generation propulsion systems. The centre is owned by the University of Bristol where he also helped eminent scientists develop closer links with industry.
Before that he was Partnerships Director at SETsquared, the UK's leading (and Europe's 3rd) technology incubator which is owned by six universities including Bath and Bristol. Prior to that, he was International Business Director at the South West of England Regional Development Agency.
His first job after graduating with a business degree was with the world's largest commercial manufacturer of banknotes and security documents, a job which allowed him to travel to over 60 countries.
Dawn Knight
Fundraising
Dawn grew up in North Somerset, and she now lives in Barrow Gurney. Dawn works as a Mental Health specialist nurse, visiting patients at home in North Somerset for Sirona Care and Health (NHS). She started working in the NHS at Ham Green hospital, Pill, Bristol. She worked at Barrow hospital when newly qualified, having an interest with older adults and dementia.
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She had previous involvement with Yatton Infant school Parent Teacher Association and was chair in the year 2008. The PTA raised £10,000 running large scale village events such as village autumn fireworks, Village Carnival, and a Christmas Fayre. Dawn also enjoyed volunteering for 2 local greyhound charities, helping with fundraising, and has fostered several greyhounds.
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More recently, she has been involved with the group Long Covid. She worked with the NIHR- (National Institute of Health Research) with co-involvement on research projects as a lived experience participant. Dawn enjoys her retired racing greyhound, socialising, crafts and gardening.
Alex Learmonth KC
Legal
Alex is a leading silk in contentious trusts and estates matters. He is the editor of Williams, Mortimer & Sunnucks on Executors, Administrators and Probate and of Theobald on Wills, and a contributor to the Law Society's Probate Practitioner's Handbook.
He has particular expertise in relation to the law of mental capacity, both domestically in the Court of Protection and in the High Court, and abroad. He is also a recognised expert in the law of property, ranked by the Legal 500 for ‘Property Litigation’ and ‘Agriculture’, with several Court of Appeal decisions to his name.
Alexander originally studied as a choral scholar in the choir of New College, Oxford, and in May 2011 completed the Intensive Opera course at the Advanced Performers Studio. He is in regular demand as a choral singer, frequently performing with a number of groups and as a solo performer.
He has lived in Barrow Gurney with his family for the past 10 years.
Graham Spooner
Business Planning
Graham is a Director of Mentor UK Limited which works with entrepreneurs and their businesses in their strategic development and project management to help them become investor ready for third party investment, making acquisitions, IPO and exit.He is the editor of ‘Venture Capital and Private Equity: A Practitioner’s Manual’ and the author of ‘Raising Venture Capital’ and speaks on these subjects at universities and business schools. Also, he is a past contributor to The Corporate Finance Manual (having been its editor), A Practitioner's Guide to Venture Capital Law and The Charity Performance Guide.
After graduating from the University of Cambridge in 1974, Graham joined ICFC (now 3i) as a graduate trainee and became a director of 3i plc in 1987. Subsequently, he was head of corporate finance at Olliff & Partners and HLB Kidsons, a director of Rea Brothers and Classic Fund Management, and latterly, an Associate at Amberley Advisory.His non-executive appointments have included being a director of the listed Downing Classic VCTs, the AIM quoted Dowgate Capital Group and Dunn Line (where he was chair of its audit committee), and latterly, as the Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director of Rotala PLC, where he chaired their Audit and Remuneration Committees, and was a member of their Nominations Committee.Graham has held several voluntary roles, including currently as the Lay Deputy Chair of a Diabetes UK Research Steering Group and as member of the Reading Tech Hub Steering Group.
Trevor Leonard
Treasurer
Trevor has lived in the village for some 20 years. A qualified Chartered Certified Accountant, he is now retired following a career in the Financial Services Industry. Was previously a Trustee of Quartet Community Foundation in Bristol and is currently a Trustee of Home-Start Bristol & South Gloucestershire.
Trevor is a strong advocate of the social benefits that a local pub brings to the community – indeed it was one of the considerations that led him and his wife Janet to move to Barrow Gurney in the first place. Since then, they have enjoyed many a quiz night and made some wonderful friends.
Graham Moore
Secretary
Graham is an economics graduate and a Chartered Financial Planner. He helped set up The Norwich Division of a Financial Services Company in 1998 and has remained a main board Director ever since.The company has grown with turnover of over £10m and a staff count of 60.
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Graham was Chair of Governors of a local Primary School in Lowestoft for 12 years gaining experience in dealing with local Government, The Teaching Staff and local Diocese. He moved to Bristol in 2012 and has lived in Barrow Gurney since 2013. A regular at The Motto for over 10 years and strong supporter.”
Nick Tyrrell
Planning/Local Authority Liaison
Nick is a Town Planner with experience over 40+ years, now retired. He spent time initially in local government (Camden, Newcastle & Gloucester); Bristol Development Corporation (1989-1995) and subsequently private practice. Most recently, was a Planning Partner at Alder King Planning and Property Consultants, Bristol.
Nick has had extensive experience in team building and management, regeneration projects, conservation issues, community engagement and negotiations between private clients and local authorities. Has been a resident of Barrow Gurney for 7+ years: Parish Councillor, Vice Chairman of Barrow Gurney Village Hall and Chairman of Village Green Committee – i.e. fully embedded in village life. Passionate about retention of the Princes Motto as a valued community asset.
Mary James MBE FRAgS
Fundraising
Mary farmed in partnership with her late husband Tom from 1972, specialising in breeding Guernsey cows. Mary and Tom also had a shop at the farm, which is on the edge of Barrow Gurney. She is supposed to be semi-retired!
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Mary spent many years with the NFU [as a volunteer], holding various chairmanships and as Council Delegate in London.
She has had a long association with Barrow Gurney, her grandmother running the pub for 60 years, and she practically lived in the pub when she was young. Both Mary and Tom also had long association with the Village Hall and Mary has a special interest in the history of the village, having done several lectures with the late Iann Barron.
Nick Kerswell
Communications
After 46 years in TV, radio, newspapers and PR, Nick retired from journalism to spend more time on the beach. As villagers since 1987 he and his wife Ann brought up two sons in Barrow Gurney.He helps with the village green and village hall and was a regular at the Prince's Motto and occasional unpaid cook and bottlewasher
Andrew Sheridan
Business Planning
Andrew is a commercially focussed and driven professional who prior to recently retiring as a Managing Partner in the restructuring profession, had over 40 years of experience in advising corporates and financial stakeholders, with significant experience across all stages of the corporate lifecycle, and over a diverse range of industry sectors, assisting companies, their advisers and stakeholders navigate through a range of complex situations.
Now primarily engaged in part-time NED, Trustee and Governor roles on a pro-bono basis.
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He has been a member of the Barrow Gurney Parish Council for the past six years. He is a Governor at The Downs Prep School
He has been a freelance radio broadcaster on rugby union for the BBC (5 Live and Radio and Radio Bristol/Somerset) for many years and is a member of the Rugby Union Writers Club.