About Cllr David Purdey, Wivenhoe Town Mayor, 2007 / 08
He was born and raised in the West Country and left school at 16. He served his apprenticeship at Devonport Dockyard and went on to work in London where he qualified in management and then worked as a Personnel Officer in Manchester. From there he joined the newly-formed Race Relations Board as an Assistant Conciliation Officer and then ran their office in Nottingham where he began a long career in Race and Community Relations. He held several senior posts in Nottingham and Leicester and, briefly, in Essex before finally retiring in Wivenhoe.
He is currently Chair of the Wivenhoe Ferry Trust, Secretary of the WEA and a school governor at Broomgrove Infants School.
He is married with two grown up daughters and one grandchild. His wife Heather is a journalist and currently teaches journalism at City University in London.
Heather and David came over to Wivenhoe in 2001, having had a long association with the East Coast through friends and holidays. On one wet windy Boxing Day more than 10 years ago they discovered and fell in love with Wivenhoe, and, from that moment, worked towards coming to live here.
David said:
Its a great privilege to be elected to the Council and to be Mayor for the coming year. Working with the staff and the newly elected team, my main priorities will be to try and develop a voice for young people, to improve services and facilities on our estates and to keep the Council relevant to the changing needs of everyone in the town."
Cllr David Purdey
May 2007