Malcolm Duck, born November 1960, married to Fiona with two children, a boy and a girl who both attended North Berwick High School.
Educated in Mallaig and Dollar Academy Malcolm joined the Royal Marines as a young officer in 1980 where he served for 11 years commanding men in the Falklands Conflict and Northern Ireland. He move into hospitality in 1991 when he bought Ducks at Le Marche Noir in Edinburgh which he ran till 2011. It was the longest serving restaurant in the Michelin Guide. He opened Ducks Inn in 2004 (Ducks’s at Kilspindie House) Aberlady and was responsible for the catering at Lennoxglove. Malcolm was the founding chairman of the Edinburgh Restaurateurs association and East Lothian Golf Tourism Group (Scotland’s Golf Coast) and is a firm believer in collaborative working. He is responsible for digital tourism for the Scotland’s Golf Coast Group.
A keen sportsman Malcolm played rugby, refereed to premier two level, was in the Sottish Commonwealth Games fencing squad. He has a golf handicap of 7.
REBECCA SIMPSON HUGHES Vice Chair
Rebecca is a semi-retired landscape architect and environmental planner, having worked throughout the UK. In 1993 she moved from Hadrian’s Wall country to Scotland to head up the landscape team for Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot). This was followed by assisting approval for a new UK national park and five years overseas in New Zealand for a coastal wetland trust. Rebecca has lived in East Lothian for over 20 years and most recently in Aberlady.
Rebecca’s interests include gardening, tennis, skiing, yoga (lapsed teacher but still practising) and assisting the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland as deputy chair.
MARTIN WHITE
Martin represents West Fenton and Drem. Retired for longer than he can remember, his time is spent writing, reading, sailing and drinking coffee and wine, but not always in that order!
Martin represents the Gullane Area at the Coastal Communities Museum in North Berwick, with a particular interest in things that span the area, Robert Louis Stevenson being one of them. He leads the work across the Lothians on the European Cultural Route ‘In the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Martin coordinates the Community Council responses on Development Planning matters, and he is still sulking following the ‘stitch up’ that saw four Gullane sites allocated in the New Local Development Plan.
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KAREN CHAPMAN
Karen Chapman joined the council 8 years ago having lived in Gullane for over 16 years.
She has been our Treasurer for the last 5 years
Karen grew up in a small village in the West of Scotland and is passionate about local community. She firmly believes the more you put in, the more you get out. She has been an active member of the local community having been treasurer of almost every local club at some time (because she worked in Financial Services everyone assumes she is good with numbers and an excel spreadsheet!) and was one of the founding members of Monday Lunch Club and the bi-annual Burns Supper in the village hall.
She used to co-host a radio show on East Coast FM called Chatty Women.
ALAN FRASER
Alan moved to Gullane in the early 1970s and was lucky to enjoy all the benefits of growing up up in a coastal village community with great outdoor facilities on the door step.
Alan moved back to the village 15 years ago with his partner and dog and to work on developing his property consultancy business. Alan is a Commercial Chartered Surveyor to trade and now specialise in the development of telecommunications sites mostly in and round remote rural locations in Scotland.
Frank takes a particular interest in village services in Aberlady.
ZENA TRENDELL
Having been raised and gone to school in East Lothian, Zena returned to live at Ballencrieff approx 7 years ago.
Zena has worked in both the private and public sector, mostly within the NHS in roles relating to the finance and analysis of medicines, as primary care manager, project manager and currently I.T. Zena specialises in change and project management.
Outside of these roles, Zena enjoys reading, yoga, learning (anything new from woodwork to Polish) and wine.
Zena’s aim on the Community Council is to encourage collaboration to ensure we maintain and improve upon the local area for those that live, work and visit here.
HAYDEN EDWARDS
Hayden has lived in Aberlady for over 20 years, schooling his children at Aberlady Primary and North Berwick High School.
Hayden works for a leading telecommunications company, he has a keen interest in digital inclusion and place-based adoption of technology.
Hayden wants to see his village and East Lothian as a sustainable place in which to live, work and play.
Hayden is a member of Craigielaw golf club since its opening, he is also a former rugby referee and a keen participant in fitness challenges.
SIMON PATERSON-BROWN
Simon was a Consultant General Surgeon in the Royal Infirmary between Jan 1994 and March 2021, when he retired from clinical practice. Simon continues to be involved in teaching students at Edinburgh University as an Honorary Senior Lecturer, as well as running training courses for surgeons for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Simon is the Treasurer for Dirleton Village Association (DVA) and enjoys being involved in the local community. Simon’s interests include music, cycling, golf, skiing and fishing – all weather-dependant!
Born in Glasgow. His parents moved to Crieff in the 70s where he went to school.
After completing a law degree in Newcastle, he entered the world of Scotch Whisky international sales and marketing culminating with a move to Boston, USA.
On his return to the UK in the late 90s he moved into the Scottish beef, lamb and pork industry becoming the MD of Quality Meat Scotland From 2010 he developed a new career in healthcare, managing and developing private hospitals in England and Edinburgh. Latterly he was a private hospital director in Edinburgh managing a large team of consultant surgeons and clinical staff.
On full retirement he moved to Drem from Edinburgh, fulfilling a lifelong desire to live in the country and close to the sea. A golfer, dog walker and semi enthusiastic gardener he has really enjoyed the move to East Lothian and is keen to get more involved in the local community. Married to Elspeth, a CA , for some 39 years he has two grown up children and a granddaughter
SECRETARY
Ruth Butterworth gaccsecretary@gmail.com
EAST LOTHIAN COUNCILLORS
LIZ ALLAN
JEREMY FINDLAY
CAROL McFARLANE