Mike Cooksley - Chairman

Mike was born in Wisbech Cambridgeshire but has lived most of his life in the North West.  He was formerly employed as an Accountant at the Winsford Urban District Council and the King’s Lynn Treasury Norfolk.

He has been self employed in the locality for 37 years; for the last 25 years in the leisure industry. Together with his wife Sheila he currently runs the Heathercliffe Country House Hotel at Frodsham in Cheshire.

Mike has been involved in the promotion of Tourism for many years and has led trade missions to Europe and worked on joint tourism initiatives in China, France, Belgium and Holland including the DTI ‘Begin in Benelux’ campaign. A former director of the North West Tourist Board, Mike was instrumental in the creation and setting up of the new body to oversee the development and promotion of tourism in the sub region, The Cheshire and Warrington Tourism Board (CWBT), and became the inaugural Chairman in April 2004.

As well as being Chairman of the Weaver Valley Management Board, he currently holds the following positions:-

• Chairman Visit Chester and Cheshire
• Member Cheshire Rural Regeneration Board
• Cheshire Business Ambassador
• Council Member Mersey Basin Campaign
• Board Member Northwich Regeneration Partnership
• Board Member Natural Economy North West
• Governor Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College
• Trustee of The Petty Pool Trust.

He was a former Director of Business Link Vale Royal and Business Link Halton; former Chair Friends of Anderton Boat Lift and Vice Chair Anderton Boat lift Trust.  Mike also stood as an Independent Parliamentary Candidate in the 2001 General Election.