MAYOR, COUNCILLOR JIM FLETCHER (UUP)

District Electoral Area: Ards West

First Elected: 2005

Contact Details:

26 Coach Road
Comber
BT23 5QX

Tel: 028 9187 2163

councillor.jim.fletcher@ards-council.gov.uk

Councillor Jim Fletcher is a member of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and served as Deputy Mayor from 2007 to 2008. He took office as First Citizen in June 2008, a position he will hold for one year.

Councillor Fletcher keeps award-winning poultry and a flock of Hampshire Down pedigree sheep some of which have been exported throughout the British Isles and Europe and a number purchased by Her Majesty The Queen. He is currently the Honorary President of the Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders in Ireland and a member of the Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association National Council.

A beekeeper as well, Jim is a qualified lecturer in beekeeping and regularly contributes articles on beekeeping topics to national and international beekeeping magazines. He is a Past President and Secretary of the Ulster Beekeepers Association and Past Chairman of the Council of National Beekeeping Associations (UK).

He is also a Past Secretary and current member of the Ulster Poultry Federation, a member of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) and the Royal Highland Agricultural Show Society (RHASS).

Jim taught chemistry for 30 years. He initially worked for a short time at Grosvenor High School in Belfast, the Civil Service and then as a lecturer at the North Down and Ards Institute (now the South Eastern Regional College) and has also served as an officer in the Boy's Brigade for 15 years.

He was educated at Regent House School, Newtownards and obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Queen's University, Belfast.

Jim is especially interested in environmental issues and has an interest in many sporting activities, particularly rugby.

He lives in Comber, Co Down, with his wife, Ann. They have five grown-up children, four boys and one girl.