Meet the Team
Willie Hamilton
Chair of Horsham BID
Willie Hamilton
Chair of Horsham BID
Following an extensive career as a Director of Operations, Marketing and Strategy in retailing and more recently as the CEO of the UK’s largest independent Jewellery Buying Group, I decided that I wanted to “give back” to the many businesses that I worked with.
I now own and operate HamiltON Business, a mentoring and coaching business, working with independent family businesses across the UK. However, many of you may recognise me as working behind the bar at Wakefields Jewellers, owned by my wife Melanie and my brother-in-law Dominic, whose family, have been passionately involved in serving and supporting the Horsham community for over a hundred years.
I’ve also held the pro-bono position as Chairman of several large companies and charities, so when Dominic and Melanie asked me to represent Wakefield’s (who contribute £810 per annum with their BID levy fee) within a group of like-minded business people, that also wanted to “give back” to the Horsham community, I didn’t hesitate to join them.
Following many years of supporting and working within the group, (formally known as Horsham Business Initiative or HBI) in raising awareness for a BID, in Horsham and the successful vote of confidence from the Horsham town centre community for, Your Horsham BID, I was honoured to be voted as Chair to the board.
As Chair, I will be committed to ensure that our Horsham town centre business community are listened to and our agreed business plan is delivered, within a timely and cost effective basis.
Alongside my fellow directors of Your Horsham, I look forward to meeting, listening, and working with everyone within the community, so if you remember my face, or see me wearing my Your Horsham, lapel pin badge please stop me for chat and let’s get to know each other better, to ensure we collectively make Your Horsham, an even better place to work, rest and play.
I made the move to Horsham over ten years ago, and my intention to try to “give back” was not confined to HamiltON Business.
Rachael
BID Manager
Rachael
BID Manager
Hi, I’m Rachael, the new BID Manager for Your Horsham. Joining the team in March 2026, I was excited to bring previous experience from the BID world to help shape and develop the Your Horsham brand. I intend to deliver the strategic business plan, and build lasting, meaningful relationships with BID businesses.
Laura Hasson
BID Assistant
Laura Hasson
BID Assistant
Hiya, I’m Laura, BID Assistant, and I’ve been with Your Horsham since 2025. As the core member of the office team my role within the BID is to ensure that data, admin, projects we deliver… as well as countless emails coordinating events, business support and our initiatives are delivered on behalf of all our amazing businesses. I also bring my creative expertise to the newsletter and online content we share.
My working life has been an interesting journey. From humble beginnings as a lifeguard for our local Pavilions in the Park, once helping a new dad deliver his baby over the phone, to my various adventures teaching English abroad, my career to date is eclectic. It is that diversity of knowledge that allows me to juggle the quickly changing needs of our over 330 businesses and bring a passion and flexibility to a role that can have many shifting priorities.
One big achievement of mine, completing a master’s degree during COVID aside, is a recent success I’ve had with Your Horsham. I was a key contributor in all the behind the scenes work that went into Christmas Launch Party 2025 and seeing over 11,000 people enjoying Horsham Town Centre was a joyful if exhausted moment for me.
My go to coffee is usually a hazelnut latte and in Horsham as we have many great coffee spots; from independents to nationals, we have so many to pick from!
Our Ambassadors
Janine Murnane
Welcome Ambassador
Janine Murnane
Welcome Ambassador
Hello! I’m Janine, one of the Welcome Ambassadors for Your Horsham, and I’ve been in the role since January 2026.
You’ll often find me out and about in the town centre, welcoming visitors, helping people find what they need, and generally being a friendly face for Horsham. A big part of my role is connecting with our fantastic local businesses and acting as a link between them and the Your Horsham team.
Before joining Your Horsham, I spent over 30 years working for a Housing Association, most recently in Learning and Development. While I loved that career, I’m really enjoying this new chapter in a public-facing role. It’s been wonderful getting to know the many brilliant businesses in town and chatting with the people who visit and work here every day.
I’m especially passionate about supporting local businesses, and we’re incredibly lucky in Horsham to have such a fantastic mix of independent shops, pubs, cafés and restaurants. Naturally, I make it my mission to visit as many as possible… which also gives me the perfect excuse when explaining my spending to my husband; after all, it’s all in the name of supporting the local economy!
Milly Palmer
Welcome Ambassador
Milly Palmer
Welcome Ambassador
Hi, my name is Milly, and I’m the newest member of your Horsham Ambassadors. I’m really looking forward to learning more about the town and working with others to help create a vibrant, welcoming, and safe town centre for everyone who visits, lives, or works here.
My working life has largely been centred around customer service. I started young, collecting glasses on weekends for a family business from the age of 11. Since then, I’ve worked in a variety of customer-facing roles, including retail, coffee shops, and restaurants. These experiences have helped me develop strong communication skills and a genuine appreciation for the importance of creating positive experiences for people.
My greatest achievement is the family I’ve built. Being a parent has taught me resilience, patience, and determination. No matter how difficult things may seem, I’ve always believed in continuing to move forward, and that mindset is something I hope I’ve passed on to my children as well.
One of my favourite ways to spend time in Horsham is visiting the town’s many coffee shops with a good book. I love finding a seat by the window, where I can either watch the world go by or lose myself in a fantasy novel for a while. For me, those quiet moments capture the relaxed and friendly atmosphere that makes Horsham such a special place.
Geoff Cockwill
Welcome Ambassador
Geoff Cockwill
Welcome Ambassador
Hello, I’m Geoff and I’m one of the Your Horsham Ambassadors. I joined Your Horsham I wanted to be part of it, to help it grow and develop while supporting businesses in town to achieve the same. I believe in making Horsham a great place for people to live, shop and relax.
Alongside Your Horsham, I run a video production company which has kept me busy for two decades now. I started this because of a love of film. It’s grown into a means of helping businesses and individuals grow, promote their events and ethos. Even sometimes simply telling people about what they do – which are all insights I bring to my Ambassador role.
I have three big achievements outside of work in my three kids including twin girls – all of whom keep me busy as well! A big achievement at work is being creatively busy for many years and making a living doing something I love. It also lets me meet great people and do fascinating things within the industry.
In Horsham, my main places to visit are the stores which feed my love of comics, books as well as card games and all other film-related goodness!
Louie Purchase
Welcome Ambassador
Louie Purchase
Welcome Ambassador
Hi, my name’s Louie, Your Horsham Ambassador. I’ve been part of the team since July 2025, with a week’s work experience in May 2025. As an Ambassador, my role in Horsham Town Centre is to present as a positive and proactive person to the public and our BID businesses. I also gather environmental intel around town and provide key upcoming information to our businesses first hand. I work as a connection between the team backstage and everybody in Horsham town. I pride myself on helping to benefit the public through means such as reporting and following up on environmental issues and fixes. It’s also great to be a welcoming face to town visitors!
As the youngest member of the team at Your Horsham, at 18 years old, my working history is just beginning. I’ve studied Economics, Maths and Business at A-Level whilst also achieving 11 GCSEs. Being an Ambassador is my first “proper” job, but I do also have experience in leaflet delivery over the past few years.
One big achievement of mine is obtaining this role at just 17 years old. I had the drive to get out and partake in an engaging work experience week at college, which lead me to Your Horsham. From then, I applied to become a Welcome Ambassador and was hired within just two months post my work experience week.
I love a meal out with my family, and there are so many amazing restaurants and pubs in Horsham town which can suit my needs after a long, engaging day.
Our Board of Directors
Gill Buchanan
Centre Manager at Swan Walk
Gill Buchanan
Centre Manager at Swan Walk
I represent the 60 businesses at Swan Walk and am delighted to be on the Board. I have been a huge supporter of BIDS for nearly 10 years having seen what can be achieved visiting other towns nationally. The annul levy collected from those trading in Swan Walk is circa £43,500.
Although Swan Walk is primarily a day time retail space we have always worked collaboratively to look at the whole town centre experience for all our customers. Every business in the BID area is a key ingredient to the Horsham offer and its success.
I have been in the town for nearly 30 years but remain as passionate about Horsham and the opportunities we have as I was on day one. I’ve been involved with most town forums and groups over the years so I hope I can bring experienced Horsham insight to the board plus my understanding of the nation metrics around town centres and key trends/insights, all alongside the amazing fresh energy we have from my board colleagues who have newer businesses in the town.
Your Horsham means that we can deliver for business, by business, with a focused strategy to support all members in the town centre BID area – what an amazing opportunity!
Barbara Childs
Director of Place at Horsham District Council
Barbara Childs
Director of Place at Horsham District Council
I am Barbara Childs, Director of Place at Horsham District Council and I am part of Your Horsham because the Council is the single highest BID Levy payer and has an absolute commitment to supporting the success of the town centre. I also have a personal passion as a local resident, in doing everything I can to ensure that Horsham town centre continues to thrive and flourish.
My first jobs as a student, were in retail (and hospitality) and my dream was to become the manager of a Boots store! However, I decided to do a degree in geography rather than pharmacy so once I graduated, I completed my Masters in Town Planning whilst working for Mid Sussex District Council. I used to come shopping in Horsham, and it wasn’t long before I got a job at Horsham District Council, which is where I have undertaken many different roles. My current role means that I oversee Planning, Economic Development and the Council’s property portfolio, amongst other things. It’s a hugely rewarding role and I feel privileged to live and work here.
One of my biggest achievements was working to get John Lewis and Waitrose in the town and the redevelopment of Piries Place. Seeing other shops and businesses that continue to come to our town centre because of ripple effect from this huge investment is fantastic.
I love to watch the world go by in one of our many welcoming hospitality venues and being part of the wonderful Horsham community.
Ben Hewson
Landlord, The Bear Pub
Ben Hewson
Landlord, The Bear Pub
I am delighted to join the board of Your Horsham, I truly believe the BID will be the springboard to not just maintain Horsham’s ability to compete with larger towns but provide the means and support to be cutting edge in terms of commercial viability, visitor attraction and depth of offering.
Several years ago, I was introduced to the concept of BIDs on a trip to New York where the benefits are evidenced on every street and avenue and the levy payers are motivated and united to realise a collective vision.
Over the past 30 years I have built businesses in many sectors ranging from corporate real estate to logistics and high street retail to e-commerce, recently I have taken on the tenancy at The Bear in Market Square, my hope is that I can bring aspects of this experience to help with crafting strategy and “right first time” decision making.
Having a foot in hospitality and living within a stone’s throw of the town centre, I naturally cherish the vibrancy and community feel of the town centre, both key areas to the success of Horsham, and believe all businesses benefit when everyone from business owners, employees and visitors are happy, safe and engaged.
The BID gives us the mechanism to improve communication between all partners and the opportunity to collaboratively reinforce and underpin all the things that make Horsham a great place to live, work and play.
Karen Thompson
Director of Beauty Secrets
Karen Thompson
Director of Beauty Secrets
Hi, I’m Karen Thompson, Director of Beauty Secrets. I’m proud to be part of Your Horsham because I care deeply about the continued success of Horsham’s town centre and the businesses that make it such a vibrant place to live, work and visit. Having built and grown a family-run business on the high street, I understand how important collaboration, visibility and community support are for both independent and national businesses.
My working life began in London where I worked in government departments including the Department of Employment and the Department of Trade and Industry. These early roles gave me valuable insight into how business, policy and economic development connect. Twenty-seven years ago, I joined our family business, Beauty Secrets, founded by my mother in 1985. Today the business celebrates over 40 years in the beauty industry and has grown into an award-winning group of five high-street salons across Sussex and Surrey.
One achievement I’m particularly proud of is continuing the legacy of our family business while expanding the brand and creating opportunities for our team. Alongside running the salons, I’ve begun mentoring other salon owners and small businesses, sharing experience gained from over four decades in the industry.
My go-to Horsham ritual is a wander through the town centre, often around the Carfax and surrounding streets, visiting many of the fantastic businesses we collaborate with locally. I enjoy catching up with fellow business owners, discovering new places and finishing with a good coffee, soaking up the energy and community spirit which makes Horsham such a special place.
Luke Smith
Owner, The Horsham Cellar
Luke Smith
Owner, The Horsham Cellar
Luke is the founder of The Horsham Cellar, a family run business opened in the town centre in September 2018. Luke’s intentions for The Horsham Cellar was to work alongside a small and select group of suppliers. Which over the last seven and a half years has grown into an independent powerhouse. Their shelves are filled with bottles from all over the world and the small, dedicated team work with specialists who can access great wines that you might not have tried before, including some quirky offerings.
Luke’s eleven year journey to the wine connoisseur he is now began from a background in Geology. He travelled extensively, falling more in love with wine and eventually realising that this passion could become a something more. With family in Horsham, but at the time, not independent wine and spirits merchant. The Horsham Cellar was born, with help from his family the once charity unit was transformed into a place where you can buy wine but also discover this destination for enthusiasts to learn, explore and enjoy the diverse world of fine beverages in a relaxed, welcoming store.
Now Luke sits on the Board of Directors for Your Horsham and his passion, understanding and dedication to independent success stories helps guide decisions across the pillars of the business plan. His insight into collaboration between unlikely businesses is a keystone of his work as a Board Member.
Sophie Burstow
Owner, The M Bar
Sophie Burstow
Owner, The M Bar
Sophie, the newest Board of Director to Your Horsham is the owner of The M Bar. The name, a subtle tribute to her mother who was a respected businesswoman within the Horsham community, and in whose memory guides and supports Sophie as she continues to lead this exciting Asian fusion tapas spot.
Alongside delicious plates inspired by Asian cuisine their cocktail and wine offering is a bustling hub for locals and those who work in the offices surrounding Horsham Town Centre. This proudly independent business blends venue hire with a relaxing, vibrant spot for an evening tipple.
Sophie and her team were part of the industry that were among the hardest hit during Covid-19. She and the team remained hopeful, upbeat and always strove to give people a place to be social, safely and supported the community through those uncertain times with a welcoming spot as we rebuilt our social situations.
When not behind the bar or discussing potential events with Your Horsham Sophie can be found dashing along our pedestrianised streets enjoying catch up with people shopping and enjoying our dynamic town centre.