We are delighted to announce that Sara Wilson is standing as the Green Party candidate for Ilfracombe in the Devon County Council elections to be held on May 1st 2025.
Sara is an outstanding candidate who has already shown that she has what it takes to make an impact in local government. Since being elected to represent Ilfracombe West on North Devon District Council in 2023, Sara has worked tirelessly to give Ilfracombe a voice on the District Council. Now, we need her dynamism and commitment in the County Council.
Here is her story:
“I moved to Ilfracombe aged 11 from Hertfordshire with my family and went to the local secondary school here. Like many of my contemporaries, I hung around the seafront as a teenager and had summer jobs in hotels and cafes. I also already had a love of the outdoors and walked the family dog up at the Cairn almost every day, teaching myself the names of birds, plants and flowers.
“At 18 I got a place at Southampton university studying archaeology and history and got a taste of big city life. When I graduated no-one was more surprised than me to actually find a job in archaeology, and I worked in Hampshire with a digging team on excavations for almost 4 years, until the financial crash of the 1990s meant our team were all laid off.
“I stayed in Southampton and raised my 2 daughters, and also began to do some volunteering, which would prove influential later on. I was a school governor for a while, and also a prison visitor at an immigration detention centre in Portsmouth. I also worked on the shop floor at a huge Marks and Spencer’s store, partly to pay for a post graduate course at Winchester university.
“All this time I visited Ilfracombe as often as I could and began to miss my hometown more and more, and eventually I took the plunge and moved back here with my girls in 2007, taking a job at M&S in Barnstaple.
I had the unusual experience of my daughters having a couple of teachers who had also taught me, which makes for an interesting parents’ evening!
“In 2010 I took over as curator of Ilfracombe museum, and I managed this gem of a museum for 10 years. I learned an enormous amount about Ilfracombe’s rich and quirky history – what a shame we were never taught any of this at school. My time there gave me a huge appreciation for my town and its unique character, and also some of its long standing struggles. I also got to know many new local people who gave their valuable time to volunteer, or who brought in objects or asked for help with research.
“In 2022 I was given the chance to try something new and I changed tack and took a job with local charity the Pickwell Foundation. I had always had a heart for people who have been displaced from their homes and for the last 3 years I have been supporting resettled people across Northern Devon.
“In 2023 I was elected as district councillor for Ilfracombe West, having been a town councillor for 4 years prior to this, and wanting to get a bit more involved and build on my experience. I’ve enjoyed teaming up with fellow west ward councillor Jon Quinn for ward surgeries and visits to community groups.
I have had a deep and personal Christian faith for many years and am a member of the Encounter church faith community.”
If you would like to help Sara get elected, please email her HERE>
Remember, to take part in the elections, you will need to be on the electoral register. To register to vote, Follow this link>