Midsomer Norton has welcomed new Town Clerk, Donna Ford, who joined the team last month.

38 year-old Donna is a mum to three girls, aged 17, 14 and 8, and comes from Yate. Having begun her career in a recruitment agency, Donna found herself falling into a role in Local Government when she was made redundant ten years ago.

Now fully experienced, Donna originally began her time as a parish clerk in South Gloucestershire and locum clerk in Tewkesbury, and was picked from many applications, despite having had no previous history of the role. Learning quickly and on the job, she built upon her qualifications and is now fully CiLCA qualified, which will see General Power of Competence and greater legal power continue for the Town Council, as the previous clerk was also certified.

Although not having knowledge of the town before her arrival, Donna is learning fast and enjoying getting to know everyone in the area. She says: “My drive here is my thinking time – I really enjoy it; and then my drive back is for reflecting on the day.

“I’m really excited about the future of this town. It has so many projects going on and a positive outlook, and I look forward to seeing these come to fruition. We are making good headway on the Town Park and our asset transfer ambitions are nearly complete.”

Diving headfirst into the role, the new Clerk has been working hard to prepare for the Town’s Annual Meeting, which was held on Monday evening this week. She says: “Every day I like a challenge. There is a saying that I love – ‘If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much room’!”