BEVERLEY Milner Simonds has been announced as Burnham’s new town centre manager.

She is a familiar figure in the town as one of the organisers of the successful Burnham Food and Drink Festival.

Cllr Michael Clarke, chair of the town project’s committee, announced the winning candidate at a council meeting on Monday night.

Speaking to the Weekly News, Beverley said: “I am really pleased to have been appointed and I am looking forward to working with the town centre businesses, residents, landlords and visitors.

“My focus will be on the very clear projects that have been agreed and to listen to those affected by the Tesco expansion.”

One of the four members of the appointing panel, Burnham town clerk Denise Emery, said: “There were six applications and four of these were interviewed.

“We are very pleased to be able to appoint Beverley. We were impressed with her energy, the enthusiasm she showed and the ideas that she had for the town.”

Denise was keen to dispel talks that there was an obvious choice for the new role.

She said: “There was no way it was a foregone conclusion – the interview process was very rigorous and all candidates were marked anonymously.

“The applications were marked without the candidate’s name so there was no chance of favouritism.”

Burnham Mayor Martin Cox congratulated Beverley on her new role and said her application stood out from the rest.

“I’m very pleased that we have now got a town centre manager and it’s been a long road to find the right person for the job.

“Her application was way above others. She had some great ideas for the town and has a great energy in all that she does. She will make a great town centre manager.”