Home Town Council Councillors Sharon Wheaton

Sharon Wheaton

About
As a young actress, a member of the National Youth Theatre at 14 and a student at the Royal Welsh Academy of Music and Drama, my early years were spent on the stage and in television. A young family followed, and my late twenties and thirties were taken up with raising my three children, living locally down the road in Little Compton.

As well as being a stay home mum , married to a stone mason , I began my first mail order business selling personalised Cotswold stone bookends;  my interest in retail and business began .

Getting back into the arts world was important to me and when the opportunity to join the Fosse Gallery  in Stow on the Wold, helping to run and manage it, occurred in the late 1990’s ,I jumped at the chance . My life changed and I was able to embrace my artistic nature with a keen and experienced business head. In 2006 I took over the business and haven’t looked back. The gallery has enjoyed 44 continuous years of staging exhibitions, nearly every month, supporting and showcasing artists from all over the country. I am incredibly proud of its achievements and International reputation.

Living in the town of Chipping Norton for the last seven years has been a privilege. I love this community of kind, supportive, intelligent, creative and free-thinking people.

Having always been interested in local and national politics, I took the plunge and stood as a Labour candidate in the Town Council by-election in May 22. I was elected with more than 900 votes – a deeply humbling and wonderful moment.

I feel my strengths lie in listening to and supporting the people of the town, especially through the cost-of-living crisis. I have taken a firm stance against the shoplifting epidemic since early on in 2023, talking to and making a positive contribution helping our shopkeepers and members of staff as well as liaising with the local police. My interest in retail is a driving force and I want to work with others to restore our High Street and Market to their former glory!

Published
10 May 2022
Last Updated
18 June 2024