Hi, I’m Gail…,It’s nice to meet you!
The Beginning….
I grew up in an outer suburb of London, England. I was raised to believe that above all, honesty and kindness are the strongest qualities to possess. My husband, Paul and I met nearly forty
years ago when we were on vacation with friends. Paul was serving in the military, and I was a few months shy of starting my twenty-year career as a police officer with the Metropolitan
Police Service in London. We have two daughters, and with very busy careers in England, we made the bold move to emigrate to Canada to focus on our family. At the time, our daughters
were young, and as many immigrants will know, moving to a new country can be challenging for many reasons. Being away from long-term friends and family is still tough, but twenty years
later we have no regrets about the decision we made. We are very proud to be Canadian. We settled in Shannon Lake, West Kelowna and in 2014 moved to Edmonton. In 2021, we retired
to Peachland. Our daughters remain in Edmonton with their families. We are very proud of their achievements and the strong, kind women that they are. We are a very close-knit family and spend as much time as possible together.
Home at last…in Peachland
I love calling Peachland home. The dream of moving here to retire initially formed in 2011 when family was visiting from the UK. I believe strongly in community, and in the past five years we have met many wonderful people. We walk our dog, Maggie, daily by our beautiful lake, and many know me as Maggie’s mom; it always seems funny that we know dogs’ names before their humans. For two summers, Paul and I had a stall at Peachland Farmers Market making and selling Welsh Cakes. It was truly awesome to be a part of such a wonderful group of stall holders who bring people into our community to support our local economy. We donated our net profits to the Peachland Food Bank each year. I volunteer in the community and am involved with the Quiz Night at the Legion. The toonie entrance fees I suggested should be donated to the Peachland Food Bank. These toonie donations have led to several thousand dollars of regular donations to the Peachland Food Bank, a donation to the Veterans Food Bank, along with purchasing some soccer balls for Peachland Elementary School.
Retirement has been fulfilling, especially taking on my newest role last year, Granny Gail, when we welcomed our first grandson. I enjoy my vegetable garden, yoga, drawing, hiking and snow shoeing in the winter. Throughout my adult life, I have always been one to give back, finding great joy in helping others.
I have never really been into politics and am definitely not a politician. However, it feels like everything I have done and achieved has led me to this very moment in time. I believe that Peachland needs a new leader to navigate through this time of great change and challenge. I believe that I can be that leader.
I know the weeks ahead will have their trials and tribulations, but I have a strong group of committed people supporting me. I love music and live by the words of my favourite artist, Harry Styles: “Treat People With Kindness”, and that is what I will do as Mayor of Peachland.
I look forward to meeting you all over the coming weeks.
With Kindness,
Gail
