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GODFREY BLOOM'S STAFF |
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Details about each of Godfrey's team are given below
Godfrey Bloom employs no members of his family on his secretarial allowance unlike most other MEPs (Non-UKIP). Also, he returns any committee attendance allowances to Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire charities. Charities wishing to be placed on the selected list should apply to his office.Dr Kerry Gardner | | Kerry was born in 1973 and grew up in Wiltshire as part of a dairy farming family. She enjoys all aspects of outdoor life and has an interest in country sports, rugby and cricket, having gained Cambridge University Blues in both. Kerry currently lives on a small holding in Cheshire and keeps assorted pigs and chickens. She is married to Philip, who also is a research scientist.
Education and employment history:
- 1991-1994 BSc in Biochemistry at University College of North Wales, Bangor.
- 1994-1998 PhD in the Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge. Studying a novel DNA recombination and repair gene that affected recA in E.coli.
- 1999 Scientific Officer in the Department of Health, working for the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee.
- 2000-2001 Postdoctoral position with Professor Peter Young in the University of York analyzing gene flow within Rhizobial populations.
- 2000-2001 Postdoctoral position with Professor Mike Bate in the University of Cambridge, looking at muscle and nerve development in Drosophilia.
- 2001-2002 Database editor/curator for FlyBase, University of Cambridge.
- 2002-present Editor for the Aspergillus Website, University of Manchester.
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Miss Emma Rachael Brader – Personal Assistant | | Emma, 25, was educated at Ripon Grammar School where she successfully attained A-Levels in Maths, Chemistry, Biology and General Studies. After making the decision not to go to University she spent a year at the North of England College where she was taught secretarial skills including Pitman’s Shorthand.
On leaving the college Emma was offered a full-time secretarial position to a Partner in one of the country’s leading firm of solicitors in Leeds. She spent two years there until a recently elected Godfrey Bloom MEP approached her to work for him as his Personal Assistant. Emma has worked full time for Godfrey since his election until the end of December 2007. She now works part time.
Outside of work Emma has a variety of interests. She is of farming stock and is keen on the horses bred on the farm, taking on a large part of the work involved with the bringing on of the young stock who progress through hunting to point-to-pointing in which she competes. She is an enthusiastic cricket player (which makes up for her lack of skill) and also plays the guitar. | | Jonathan Arnott - Political Correspondent / Researcher | | Jonathan Arnott, 27, was the UK Independence Party's number 2 candidate at the European elections in 2004. He currently works part-time as Head of Mathematics at Handsworth Christian School in Sheffield and part-time as political correspondent and researcher to Godfrey Bloom, UKIP MEP for this region. Jonathan has co-authored UKIP's Local Manifesto each year since 2006, and has designed local, regional and national leaflets for the party.
Jonathan has regularly represented UKIP in the printed media and on radio, and has made one television appearance for UKIP immediately prior to the 2004 European elections.
At age 19, Jonathan became the youngest ever student to be awarded a Master’s degree from Sheffield University. After joining UKIP just before the 2001 general election, he quickly became actively involved with the party and addressed the 2002 party conference on issues affecting young people.
Jonathan is also involved in charitable work, both in the local community and broadcasting football league commentaries on hospital radio. In his spare time, Jonathan successfully captained the Yorkshire chess team (2002-2004), leading the team to two national rapidplay trophies. He recently competed at the top international Gibraltar Masters tournament, scoring 4.5 out of 10.
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David McLaughlin | | David, 36 has been in the Financial Services Industry since 1994. A practising independent financial advisor he is responsible for dealing with mailbag queries on pensions and financial institutional matters. Particular attention has been paid to the Equitable Life enquiry of which Godfrey sits on the parliamentary committee. He has spent time researching the MiFID directive and the impact it will have on regulated advisory practices and the implications of passporting advice within the EU from different regulatory jurisdictions. Other topics they research include state pensions, compulsory purchase annuities at 75 years of age, endowment queries and importantly the interpretation of financial "jargon" for Godfrey & his constituents.
He is married and enjoys many sporting activities, both participating and supporting, particularly rugby, golf and cricket. He also plays the guitar. | | Scott Robinson | | Scott, 49 is a graduate of Queens University, Belfast and has been in the Financial Services industry since 1984. He is a practicing independent financial advisor and along with David McLaughlin assists Godfrey with the correspondence he receives regarding queries within the financial sector and research into relevant directives such as MiFID which will have a huge impact on the UK's financial industry. He is married with four children. Having had a very successful career with the Territorial Army, when he has spare time he can usually be found on the sidelines supporting his children at sporting events and studying the more cultural aspects of life when time permits. | | |
| | Eric Richards | | After national service in the RAF, Eric, Godfey's Religious Adviser, born in North Lincolnshire, worked as a pianist in London nightclubs and was also a church organist. Then in the early 1960s he studied for the ministry of the Church of England, and worked as a priest in Cambridge and Peterborough. Joining the Missions to Seamen, he worked in Flying Angel clubs in Holland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and on the Thames. In Sri Lanka he learned a good deal about Buddhism through his friendship with leading Buddhist clergy and scholars. With a Moorish Jeweller in the Colombo Mission he also learned about Moslem family life there. Working with seafarers regardless of nationality Eric gained a wide knowledge of national customs, and learned how to drink vodka the Russian way.
He returned to the UK to look after Seafarers Clubs on the Thames, and later decided to take a parish for the sake of the stability of his family life. Working in parishes in East Yorkshire he also became Archbishop's Adviser on Rural Affairs, and later a Canon of York Minster. Escorting tours of Palestine and Israel he learned a good deal about Judaism from the fountain-head. He also belonged to the Territorial Army working with 150 Regiment RCT based in Hull, Doncaster, Leeds, and Tynemouth, and became familiar with the diversity of outlook in such a small area. His military service concluded as Senior Chaplain of the TA.
In the mid 1990s he joined the Orthodox Church, and since that time has travelled extensively in Lebanon and Syria, living with friends and colleagues, and gaining experience of total immersion in the Arab community. | | |
| | Jane Collins | | | |
| | Laure Ferrari | | Laure Ferrari, 28 was born in the north east of France to an anglophile family. After she passed the baccalauréat in 1998 she decided to take courses of journalism in Harvard Massachusetts. After a year spent in the USA she came back to France to study English Literature and history at the University of Strasbourg in Alsace. In 2005 she started her own business as a shopkeeper for two years until she came to Brussels to work for Godfrey Bloom. Now she really enjoys it being herself a convinced Euro sceptic.
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