08/05/2026
Good evening everyone 🫶🏻
So by now everyone will probably know that for me this journey ends here. But I just wanted to take the opportunity to express my deepest gratitude for every single person who showed up yesterday and voted for me 🙏 Honestly, it means an awful lot that you put your faith and trust in me and I’m truly humbled by this experience and the lovely people I have met! Thank you, sincerely!
Also for all the comments, messages, texts, calls, pep talks and encouragement during this process. You are all wonderful and I’m so grateful for every single one of you! I feel blessed to have been surrounded by such kindness and compassion and have been truly touched by everyone who, again, believed in me and supported me or kept me in their thoughts and prayers.
Again, shout out to the other candidates - Richard Collins, Chris Way and the one and only Steve Double.
Richard, is kind, intelligent, energy and environment conscious good guy and had a great deal of support! It was great to chat with him.
Chris (Reform) despite his questionable rosette(!)😂is a nice guy, who was great to talk with and I truly believe does want to try to make a difference - I wish him good luck in the future
Steve, as I said to him today, is one of the nicest guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! Spending time with him yesterday was an absolute pleasure!
To the Liberal Democrats; Firstly, congratulations to Cllr Andrew Garratt, Cllr Nick Stuart and Cllr Mark Rochell on your successful election and re-election today! Absolutely fantastic result and I hope you continue to do wonderful things! Thank you to those of you, including the wonderful Sarah Redrup and Simon Cooke, who helped deliver some of my literature, so kind of you both to help and support me and I’m so grateful! 🙏 Along with my island bestie Sarah B, and her beautiful little mini me ‘H’ who faced her fears in the name of helping me! 🥲🥰 lots of love to you both!! Also congrats to Ian ‘knocka’ Dore on his re-election for Binstead and Fishbourne! Well deserved and really pleased for you! Thanks for the laughs!
Finally, I just want to say to Cllr Michael Lilley - Ryde Appley and Elmfield. You, along with your fantastic wife Julia, have been my absolute rock! My fiercest defender, my encourager, my sounding board and at times de-escalation unit! 😂 I could not have survived this process without you, you walked Great Preston Road for me TWICE despite having your own Ward to do and have offered countless hours of Benson accompanied walking and talking!! 😅 I will never ever be able to repay what you have given me - belief in me when I still struggled to believe in myself. You are an absolute asset in my life and I am privileged to have walked this path with you; I can’t help but feel acutely sad that I don’t get to continue to walk this journey alongside you… 😔 but I know you will continue with integrity and kindness and I’m so pleased you were re-elected today! You are, without a doubt THE BEST man for the job!! 🫶🏻
Lastly (I can’t forget the most important people in my life!) thank you to Adam Hughes for helping deliver leaflets, listening to me going on and for being such a support during this difficult time. And to my daughters, the catalyst for the last few years, to make things better for their futures and the future generations of the island; Thank you so much for putting up with me, for helping deliver, for being dragged around, for existing on late dinners thrown together, constant phone calls and a tired grumpy mum! I love you all so much!
And to you all for following and supporting this journey and anyone who read this post, thank you too! I know I’m not accepting a presidency and I lost 😂 but I had a lot of people to thank 🤣
Have a beautiful weekend and look after yourselves and each other 😊 xx