Kenny Miller

Kenny Miller

Chairman

Kenny was brought up in North Berwick, and is the third generation of his family to live here. He moved away from the town for work, but returned to North Berwick a few years ago.

Recently retired from a 45 year career as a Surveyor in the construction industry, Kenny has joined North Berwick in Bloom, volunteers as a driver in the North Berwick Volunteer Car Scheme, and is one of the towns Harbour Helpers, working to carry out routine maintenance work at the harbour for the Harbour Trust.

Kenny has always loved North Berwick, and has joined the Community Council to give back to the town that he has enjoyed so much over the years.

Kathryn Smith

Kathryn Smith

Secretary

Kathryn has lived in North Berwick since 1968. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, she was in legal practice in Edinburgh for some 20 years. Kathryn has been a political activist for over 30 years, Chairman of East Lothian Conservatives for seven years and Organising Secretary since 1999, a position from which she retired in 2015.

A keen golfer Kathryn is a past Captain of North Berwick Ladies. She has been a member of the Community Council since 2004 and a member of North Berwick Trust since 2008, from which she resigned in November 2019She has recently been appointed a Trustee and Secretary of the Coastal Communities Museum.

Christiane Maher

Christiane Maher

Treasurer

Christiane is Emeritus Professor at Edinburgh Napier University in Strategic Transport Management. She was born and bred in Germany and came to North Berwick in 1994 via a stint at the European Commission in Brussels and then a few years in Berkshire.

During the first years here she engaged in the local schools in the Parent Committee, the PTAs, and then as member and then Chair of NBHS Parent Council. She later volunteered at Earth Matters and was a Director before it went private. She now volunteers at the Day Centre, but wanted to engage more for the wider community of the town she has come to love and now firmly calls her home for good.

Ian Watson

Ian Watson

Born in Edinburgh Ian moved to North Berwick in 1958 and was educated at North Berwick Primary & High Schools. He started work with a local Radio & TV shop and then worked in sound recording and electronics before setting up in own electrical business in 1972.

He was elected to the Community Council in 1986, and is a past Chair and Treasurer. Currently he is Chair of both Youth Network & Youth Cafe.

William R Macnair

William R Macnair

Bill was born in North Berwick. Educated North Berwick and Napier College. He served a local Electrical Engineering apprenticeship followed by 3 years in the Merchant Navy and 19 years in the offshore industry, [exploration, construction, and commissioning, production, and subsea installations], took over the running of the family business, Gilsland Caravan Park in 1990 and retired in 2013. He also served on the Committee of the East Lothian Tourist Board before becoming a director of the Edinburgh & Lothian’s Tourist Board until its demise and amalgamation with Visit Scotland and also helped form EL Tourist Forum and served as Chairman for a number of years.

He has a great love of North Berwick, the town and people. He has watched it grow throughout his life, welcomes the many benefits this growth has brought and believes if a town is pleasant to live in it’s a good town for tourism and business. He loves the community spirit and sees this reflected in the many and diverse groups and clubs. He sees this as our great strength and this is what he wishes to support. Bill was elected onto the North Berwick Community Council 1997.

Peter Hamilton

Peter Hamilton

Peter Hamilton was educated at both North Berwick Primary and North Berwick High Schools.

After training as an apprentice Plasterer with a local building firm in Gullane for five years he left that trade and joined the army in the 1st Battalion The Royal Scots where he served for just over three and a half years. He returned to the building trade for 15 years before being forced to give up paid employment due to ill health. His interests and hobbies are fly fishing, sea fishing, and also clay pigeon shooting. He also likes to show Clydesdale horses in Hand at Horse show competitions.

Additionally, he is a volunteer checker on the Exmoor ponies that are on North Berwick Law. He is currently a member of the Law Residents and Tenants Group and regularly attends the local CAPP Meetings.

George Johnstone

George Johnstone

George has lived n North Berwick for the last 15 years. He is a keen golfer and loves to walk his 2 dogs.

He has spent his working life in hospitality, managing The Queens Hotel and also The Old Clubhouse in Gullane before moving down south and becoming a Clubhouse manager at a few prestigious golf clubs.

He spent a few months on the community council before a work commitment took him out of the area.

George is keen to be involved in any groups which need some help.

Jacqueline Cottrell

Jacqueline Cottrell

Jacq studied history at Edinburgh University and International Peace and Security at King’s College London. She grew up in Staffordshire and lived in Edinburgh, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, London, and Inverkeithing in Fife for ten years before moving to North Berwick with her family in 2016. Her children both attended Law Primary, and are currently pupils at North Berwick High School.

Jacq works in international development cooperation, specialising in green fiscal policy and inclusive green economy. Jacq is involved in Bikeability at Law Primary and the cycling group Cycleforth, and was a member of the Charette Implementation Group. Giving something back to the community, as well as her interests in sustainability, low-carbon mobility, local empowerment and resilient planning, were Jacq’s main motivations for joining the community council.

Mairi Benson

Mairi Benson

Mairi has lived in North Berwick for over ten years and works as a specialist paediatric physiotherapist.

She is also a lead gymnastics coach for Elevate, the local club that she co-founded, which has grown to nearly 400 members. Mairi also continues as physio and judge for team GB.

Mairi is passionate about the environment and sustainability, and last year founded the “Re-wilding East Lothian” group which currently has over 650 members.

Most recently Mairi volunteered with the Community Emergency Resilience Team, setting up the North Berwick “Street Links” and WhatsApp network. She is looking forward to developing these neighbourhood connections in collaboration with the community council, and continuing to encourage the amazing community spirit that has arisen from the challenges faced during the pandemic.

Don Nicholass-McKee

Don Nicholass-McKee

Don has worked for 40 years in Scotland and England as a professional town planner in local government and a national park. He moved to North Berwick 3 years ago and loves the distinctive character of the town, coast and surrounding countryside.

He has a daughter and young family living here and is keen to use his skills and experience to benefit the community in any way he can. He has a particular interest in improving the quality of place making so that new development and other changes respect what is so special about the town.

Sally Egan

Sally Egan

Born in Glasgow, Sally has lived and worked in the Lothians most of her life, moving to North Berwick 4 years ago. She is a Registered General Nurse and Specialist Community Nurse and holds Masters and BSc Hons in Health Studies. Having enjoyed a progressive frontline nursing and senior management career she retired from NHS Lothian in September 2022.

She is no stranger to East Lothian having worked closely with ELC for 13 years in her former role of Child Health Commissioner. In August 2023, Sally became a non-executive Director on ELCAP Board, this being a voluntary position.

She enjoys quality time with family and friends and is committed to working collaboratively with NBCC fellow members to ensure that the needs of North Berwick community are heard and articulated.

Julie Cetingoz

Julie Cetingoz

Born and raised in Fife, Julie graduated from Heriot Watt University, then spent 25 years living outside of Scotland (in Turkey, Switzerland, England and USA) before settling in North Berwick in 2018.

She continues in her career as an IT consultant enjoying a hybrid of home working with travel twice a month, allowing her time to enjoy her passion of walking (with her dog Bella) on North Berwick beaches and around the Law.

She loves the community spirit of North Berwick and following a 4-year stint as chairperson of the North Berwick High School PTA, is keen to contribute more broadly to the local community.

Councillors are elected every four years. The next election will be in 2025.

North Berwick Community Council has a membership capacity of 12. If you are interested in applying to join the Community Council or would like more information, please email secretary@northberwickcommunitycouncil.org.uk

All members of the Community Council serve as volunteers.