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Whether you live on the Isles of Scilly or have fond memories of visiting, we want to hear from you. Scilly Now & Then magazine contains contributions from people in all walks of life, all of whom have a story to tell. Meet some of our regular contributors and get in touch with your idea for an article or email us with a letter - we'd love to hear from you.
Meet the team
Beth Hilton
Beth is editor of Scilly Now & Then and has lived on St Mary's for 17 years. After training as a journalist with the Press Association, she spent seven years as a sub-editor for entertainment website Digital Spy. She is now a Deputy Registrar on Scilly while studying for a hypnotherapy diploma.
Wyn Grant
Wyn lives in Leamington Spa and has taught for 40 years at Warwick University where he is a part-time Professor of Politics. Wyn has also taken up a fellowship at University College London. His most recent research has been on cattle diseases and he also headed a project on biological alteratives to chemical pesticides. His mother's family originated from Cornwall and he has visited the islands over the years (not as often as he would like). A fan of the Latics, or Charlton Athletic to the uninitiated, he runs the website www.footballeconomy.com.
Sgt. Colin Taylor
Colin's standard dress is, rather bizarrely for Scilly, a kevlar jacket and a hat that, rumour has it, pregnant women are entitled to urinate in. He is the senior Police Officer with Devon & Cornwall Constablulary on the islands, leading a team of 5 and contributes police related articles to Scilly Now & Then.
Phil Fallows
Phil hails from the Staffordshire village of Armitage and undertook the bulk of his cookery training in Lichfield and Birmingham. He moved to Scilly in 1999, when he was appointed to the 2-Rosette kitchen at the Island Hotel on Tresco. He came to St Mary's in 2008 to run the kitchen at St Mary's Hall Hotel and the restaurant goes from strength to strength every year. Phil loves all things food and the proof is in his waistline!
IoS Wildlife Trust
A registered charity that looks after more than 60% of Scilly’s landscape with the help of volunteers, grants, legacies and donations. The Trust is currently delivering a range of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) funded projects such as improved boardwalk at nature trails and education sessions. You’ll see the ranger team out and about restoring and maintaining Scilly’s habitats, many of which are vulnerable to becoming swathes of bracken, gorse, bramble or pittisporum – a danger to Scilly’s diversity of wildlife. Follow at @ScillyWildlife and get in touch at www.ios-wildlifetrust.org.uk or 01720 422153.
Sue Sayer
Sue has spent literally thousands of hours observing seals in the wild and has a keen eye on their fur patterns, which she commits to memory. Why is this important? Well, scientists see grey seals a homogeneous species but to Sue there is no such thing as an average seal. Each one has a unique fur pattern, personality, range of habits and route it takes around the Celtic Sea. Sue runs Cornwall Seal Group and is author of the book Seal Secrets:Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, published by Alison Hodge in the Pocket Cornwall series. For more information about the vital work Sue carries out please visit wwwcornwallsealgroup.co.uk.
Jon Mackenzie
Having passed the baton to Beth completely on the editorial side, Jon remains in the background and provides support in areas of marketing and design.
Derek Thomas MP
Derek is MP for St Ives constituency which covers the Isles of Scilly and he reaches out to the electorate with a regular column in each issue of Scilly Now and Then. For more information about Derek and his work you can visit his website derekthomas.org.
Will Wagstaff
Will, originally from South Wales, came to live on Scilly in 1981 and has led guided wildlife walks since 1985. He has led tours to many parts of the world, including several destinations in southern Europe, North Africa, South America and Antarctica. In 2001 he wrote the first guidebook to his most frequented destination, the Falkland Islands, entitled, Falkland Islands: The Bradt Travel Guide. Will spent 8 years as Conservation Officer and guide for the Islands' Environmental Trust (now Wildlife Trust) before returning to full time tour leading with his own business Island Wildlife Tours.
Dale Clark
Dale was offered a Deck Officer Cadetship with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), spending 4 years between college and appointments at sea. The next 12 years saw him travel the world. In 2003 he was aboard RFA Argus which was deployed to the North Arabian Gulf during Op Telic. Towards the end of the appointment he met his wife Francine, who was serving on board as a Leading Naval Nurse. In 2008, Dale switched to commercial shipping, then acquired a contract as Chief Officer on board a missile firing barge in the Mediterranean. He was appointed Harbour Master on Scilly in summer 2010.
Todd Stevens
Todd was born in Walthamstow, East London where his school days were mis-spent gazing out of the classroom window, daydreaming or skipping lessons altogether. Today he lives his dream life. Working as a carpenter, he regularly downs tools to go hunting for shipwrecks and treasure. Todd dived all round the coast of England for 20 years before moving to Scilly in 1999 when he was one of the salvage divers recovering cargo off the wreck of MV Cita. Todd is author of two books and co-author of a third and you can find out more about these and more about the man himself at www.shipwreckbooks.co.uk.
Dr. John Garman
John arrived in Scilly in 2012 as a Partner of Helston Medical Centre to lead GP services at the Isles of Scilly Health Centre. John trained at University College London and moved to Cornwall in 1999 to complete his medical training at Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (Treliske), before undertaking his GP Registrar year at Helston Medical Centre. He was offered his Partnership on completion. John is a cricket fanatic – although mostly from the sofa these days! He also enjoys living on a smallholding, running and rugby, and steps out every Sunday morning as a coach for the junior Isles of Scilly Rugby Club.
Declan Ridsdale
Declan was born and educated on the islands, with a spell on the mainland at engineering college. He joined the Isles of Scilly Fire & Rescue Service in 1987 and was promoted to Leading Firefighter in 1996 and Station Manager in 2000. He is also a Watch Manager at St. Mary’s Airport where he has worked since 1989. Declan has developed a commitment to community safety and the education of our young people in the importance of fire safety and all things fire related. Hobbies include vocalist and musician with most of the local bands over the last 30 years and a passion for sailing with many trips between the islands, France and mainland England.
Richard Larn OBE
Slept in a hammock from 14 at Training Ship “Mercury”; Deck Officer Apprenticeship with South American Saint Line. Transferred to Royal Navy 1949, served in Korea (HMS.Vengeance, Glory, Unicorn); 3 years Mechanician/Diver; Malta Dockyard NAI Inspector/RN Diving School instructor. Specialised guided/nuclear weapons, Chief Petty Officer i/c Guided Weapons on carrier Hermes 3 years. Started Prodive Ltd, Commercial Diving School, Falmouth Docks as MD; founder Charlestown Shipwreck Centre. Has written 56 maritime books; OBE, Cornish Bard, Knight of Mark Twain (USA), dived for 66 years.
Steve Sims
Steve was born on the Isles of Scilly and is a keen amateur astronomer. More recently he has branched out into writing plays, having written the pantomime On The Fiddle which was performed by St Mary's Theatre Club in January 2013 and winning the One Act Play Festival that is part of the Art Scilly Event in 2013 & 2014 with his comedy shorts The Return of the King, and Pop In If You're Passing. Steve is also Vice Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly and received the most votes of any candidate in the 2013 local elections.
Jaclyn Pearson
Jaclyn is a zoologist, having spent several years as an aviculturist ‘up North’. She came to Scilly in 2009, working for both the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and RSPB. She was delighted to become Project Manager for the Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project in 2013, which protects our important seabirds by removing rats from St Agnes and Gugh. Jaclyn’s best wildlife experience was with penguins on the Falkland islands but now the highlight of her career has been seeing the first Manx shearwater chick in living memory to emerge from its burrow on Gugh in September 2013 – conservation at its best, here on Scilly!
Amanda Martin
A local councillor since 2005, Amanda was elected Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly in 2013. In addition to her civic role she is curator of the Isles of Scilly Museum and a freelance editor, writer and translator.
Carolyn Garman
Carolyn arrived in Scilly in 2012 from Cornwall where she lived for 12 years. Her background is journalism (Travel & Property publications) and PR (in London, with a large international agency) and now combines the two as a freelance communications specialist writing content for websites, social media, blogs, newsletters, brochures etc. She also works part time at the Islands’ Partnership. When at home she tends to her three children, small flock of Soay sheep and two Jack Russells. She enjoys singing with the Scilly Sirens, playing netball and tennis (badly), and coaching netball to youngsters at the Five Islands School.
Mo Love
Mo is a keen photographic artist, which she says means a lot of her work is never seen! However, she has had examples of work exhibited before moving here, one of which - called 'Adam and Eve' - adorns the wall of the local hairdressers of that name. Her work is mostly abstract, although her candid pictures of people are becoming well known on Scilly. Mo has lived on the islands for almost five years and belongs to the Transition Scilly group and uses her other skill of dressmaking to work on costumes for St Mary's Theatre Club.
Get in touch and be part of the team
13 Garrison Lane, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly TR21 0JD
Tel 01720 423861