PAUL BAKER

Chair of WSO

 

Paul was brought up in Durrington and attended Durrington Primary School, West Tarring County Secondary School, Northbrook College and Brighton Technical College, where he obtained an HNC in Electrical Engineering.

 

After leaving school he served an Electrical Engineering apprenticeship at Beecham Pharmaceuticals, now GSK, after which Paul went on to be a hospital field service engineer.

After a few years, he then moved into technical electrical sales as a specification engineer and became an area sales manager. 

 

Paul says he “hit a midlife crisis and took a career break in 2000” when he and wife Sandra purchased a small hotel in Worthing which they ran for 10 years, selling the business in 2010. Paul then moved back into electrical sales and now works as a technical support engineer for Fimer UK Ltd in their Worthing office providing technical advice to the solar energy sector.

 

Both Paul and Sandra are Worthing born and bred and have been married for thirty-three years. Paul’s hobbies include singing with several local choirs and the Ovation Vocal Group, and has performed at all the major Worthing venues and many other theatres across Sussex.  He enjoys a wide range of music genres, and has sung everything from Handel’s Messiah to a Guns ’n’ Roses tribute, and says himself that within reason, he is “open to all new musical experiences”. Paul is a past president of Worthing Rugby Club where he played 1st XV rugby in the 1980s and was proud to wear the town's crest on the shirt.

 

Paul was elected to Worthing Borough Council as councillor for Broadwater Ward in 2016 and was honoured to become Mayor of Worthing in 2018. As Mayor he was invited to attend Worthing Symphony Orchestra concerts for that season, (as, in fact, he did the year before as Deputy Mayor) and this really stimulated his interest in the orchestra. 

 

Paul and Sandra currently live in Goring, and as as well as being Chair of the WSO trustees, Paul is also a trustee of Worthing charity Guild Care, treasurer of Worthing Royal British Legion and a new Director of ‘It Sucks to be Lonely'.