Who Are We - Better BOS

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 Ruth moved to Burnham-on-Sea with her partner and dogs almost a decade ago after spending a decade in Bristol. What drew them to Burnham-on-Sea was the open spaces for the dogs and the community fee, so many events and the independent businesses. In her spare time, she loves working with wood, creating and selling heirloom quality gifts. Ruth is also part of the team behind Pride-on-Sea, and is passionate about bringing communities together to celebrate and promote diversity and inclusion. As an Agile Practitioner Ruth has been working in IT for longer than she cares to admit. She focuses on enabling and coaching teams to create software and apps people want to use. She is committed to changing and enabling cultures so that they are customer-centric and free from unnecessary red tape. Never too far from a sticky note and marker pen, Ruth loves a well-visualised list of things that need doing. Ruth hopes that we can bring the community together and promote Burnham-on-Sea for what we all know is there; a fantastic thriving town, a committed community, the independence of our local businesses and the diversity of our local events. .

Hannah is a newer resident to Burnham-on-Sea having moved from Bristol last year with her husband (who grew up in Burnham-on-Sea) and young family. Hannah is enjoying life by the coast and the kind, community feel Burnham-on-Sea offers. 

Initially training and working as paediatric nurse, Hannah retrained as a primary school teacher some 10 years ago and is now working as Deputy Head Teacher in Parklands near Weston-Super-Mare. 

In her spare time, Hannah loves to run, ramble, and go on adventures with her family in Bessie the campervan. 

Hannah has always had an interest in sociology and specifically the sociology of community; with a particular focus on how a community can shape the lives of children and young people. Although she has not lived in Burnham-on-Sea for long she has loved seeing how hard the community works to try and bring people together and would love to be involved in helping shape this further especially for children, young people and their families. 

   Jan moved to Mark near Burnham on Sea just over 8 years ago having lived  in Hampshire for most of her life. Her first impressions of Burnham on Sea  was that it felt like a Victorian sea side town offering community warmth and  coastal charm. Married for 48 years to Michael, they have 2 children and 4 grandchildren.  Their eldest daughter lives in Hampshire and youngest in Ontario, Canada.  She loves to read, travel and spend time with family and friends. Jan is a  regular volunteer at the National Trust Tyntesfield. Although now retired, Jan’s career in organisational development has been an interesting journey,  weaving through the intricate landscapes of both private and public healthcare sectors. Fuelled by  a passion for enhancing workplace efficiency and fostering a culture of continuous improvement,  she navigated challenges, implemented strategic initiatives, and witnessed the positive impact on  teams and patient care. Contributing to Burnham on Sea's improvement by engaging with the community, supporting  local businesses, and advocating for sustainable development is really important to Jan. Through  collaboration and a shared commitment to enhancing our amenities, she believes Burnham on  Sea will be a town that thrives economically, feels loved and preserves its unique charm 

Daniel grew up in Malvern, Worcestershire. He has lived in the West Country since 2007, moving to Burnham on Sea in 2022. He loves Burnham on Sea, having been a regular visitor to the area for much of his life.

Daniel is a huge sports fan with a passion for travel. Many weekends and holidays are spent watching Rugby, MotoGP, American Football, Golf, Cricket or any major sporting event – preferably somewhere warm! If he is not watching sport, he is normally on the golf course. He has a quirky music taste and is a big Eurovision fan. His wife would say he is crazy, his friends say he is loyal, his family call him the organiser – in reality he is the sort of person who is prepared to give anything a go if looks like it could be fun!

Daniel’s working life has spanned several industries, countries, and cultures. His experience has mainly been focused on leading Operations teams and delivering change. For the last 3 years, Daniel has been a Director in a National Security Business. 

Daniel’s desire to see Burnham on Sea prosper has driven his decision to get involved with the Town Board. He hopes his experiences and skills can help bring others together and improve our town. 

Ganesh represents Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council within the membership of Better BoS.

He and his wife moved to the town where she grew up to enjoy the environment, culture and community spirit here.

He will deploy the professional skills built through a career as a commercial accountant across several sectors to support the organisation.  He is one of the councillors elected to represent the Burnham Central ward and is focused on helping to build a future which is sustainable in the widest sense of the word, believing the centre needs to provide the services that the local community needs in a clean, green and pleasant space in order to thrive.

He and the Council are committed to building on the town’s unique strengths alongside all the people and groups with a stake in the success of the town. Their role will be to encourage, support and enable improvements originating from the grassroots.  The Councillor member will act as a conduit for communication and mutual support between the Council and Better BoS.

  Lewis moved from the West Midlands to Burnham-on-Sea in 2011. He worked as a finance clerk at Sedgemoor Services, before changing careers to work for the National Autistic Society. Lewis has been involved in several local arts groups, often based at the Princess Theatre. He founded Blue Sky Theatre and Arts, working with people in recovery from addiction to put on art exhibitions, poetry events, plays and talent showcases, fundraising for a local charity. He has been a member of Peaty Sea Theatre (previously the Princess Theatre Company) since its inception in 2013. A published author of contemporary fiction and poetry, Lewis is one of the organisers of Burnham Book Festival. He is a passionate advocate for the arts and believes creative expression in its many forms is essential to a healthy and progressive community. Beyond Burnham-on-Sea, he enjoys travel and hiking in the mountains, having climbed two of the seven summits, Kilimanjaro and Elbrus, and several peaks in the Himalayas. Despite the lack of mountains, Lewis would still rather live in Burnham-on-Sea than anywhere else. 

 East Huntspill has been Josh’s home for all 18 years of his life, just a 3-mile drive from Burnham on Sea. Josh studies Sport at Bridgwater and Taunton College.

Josh hopes that Better BOS will work with the community to transform the town centre into a vibrant and welcoming community space for everyone to enjoy.

In his spare time Josh enjoys music, video gaming, football, travelling and is a steam train and classic car enthusiast.