Our Chair

 Jonathan is a retired Chartered Surveyor, who worked for his whole career in the City of London for the major financial institution, the Prudential Assurance Company ( latterly M & G Investments) and has been careful to dodge any mention of being “The Man from the Pru” or of selling door to door life assurance.  He was involved with major commercial property development both in the UK and abroad and is most proud of leading the team which rebuilt the Arndale Centre in Manchester following its bombing by the IRA in the 1990’s.

 Jonathan and his wife Ann have lived in Writtle since their marriage in 1971 and have three children and six grandchildren. He is an absolute cricket nut and West Ham Supporter!

 On the singing front, he was educated at Palmer’s Endowed School for Boys in Grays, which had a very successful all boys choir run by the History Master, John Moore who was the father of Anthony Michaels Moore the Opera singer. He was a sort of Gareth Malone of his time, insisting that everybody could sing, so he auditioned every new intake into the school. This choir sung in many major concerts in London and also had two European tours. Slightly more extreme were the Annual School productions of Gilbert and Sullivan Operas which again were all male!

 The opportunities to sing rather fell away after leaving school although he had several sessions with Writtle Singers over the years when he was available, finally joining The Chelmsford Singers following advice from our neighbours of twenty years David and Ann Sparrow. He was co-opted onto the Singers Committee as a “Minister without Portfolio” (aka A General Nuisance), following overtures from Sue Lowden after the completion of his work for Writtle Parish Council as Chair of the Steering Group which produced their Local Neighbourhood Development Plan.

 He has always found singing a wonderful way to relax away from work and other everyday matters, believing that you have to commit to it utterly as part of a team and to do this you cannot allow anything else to enter your mind, or else all is lost.