From shop owner to matchmaker, running for Parliament and becoming a councillor — not to mention a ’one-day stand’ with a TV star — John Hunt packs much into his busy life.
Born in Aldershot, his family moved to Bovey Tracey in Devon while he was still a child.
“We lived over Dad’s fruit shop,” recalled John.
“We moved to Exeter, where I grew up and later managed Avis Rent a Car.”
He came to Taunton in 1979 to become sales manager at Dunns Motors on East Street.
He said: “It’s now Mei’s restaurant. On a recent visit, I found myself rather ironically, sitting where my office used to be.”
John left Dunns to become a self-employed motor dealer in 1982, mostly trading cars between garages.
Six years later, he took over Kent House Kitchens, selling fitted kitchens. One of his fitters was All Blacks rugby star, Mark Taylor.
So many customers asked if they could buy the pine furniture on display in the showroom that John came up with another business idea.
“I set up County Pine in County Walk in 1991, and then Harlequin Pine in Exeter,” he said.
“I also opened Somerset Pine on Bridge Street, where I had a warehouse at the back.
“The people I employed were amazing — a very good team.”
In the 2000s, he surrendered his leases in Taunton and Exeter.
John added: “I then started an online dating business, a dating agency, and ran speed dating events locally.
“I was finding people for people for seven or eight years.”
He hit the national headlines when he won a TV competition to enjoy a date with actress Sherrie Hewson, best known for her roles in Crossroads, Coronation Street, Benidorm, and as a Loose Women host.
“The competition was to find her a man,” said John.
“I thought it would be fun and made a one-minute video saying why it should be me.
“From the many entries it was whittled down to a final three and to my surprise, the great British public chose me to go on a date with Sherrie.
“I had a lovely lunch and champagne with her on the Orient Express, from Victoria across the Surrey Downs.
“It was such fun. She was lovely, but we both understood there was never going to be anything between us.”
John’s foray into local politics began in 2015.
“I had spare time to fill and wanted to find something in the community to really get my teeth into,” he said.
“People said, ‘You’re good at talking and listening to people. What about politics?’
“So, I joined Bishop’s Hull Parish Council but became frustrated because I couldn’t get things done and felt restricted.
“I asked people in the village if they thought I’d make a good county councillor as an Independent.
“They said, ‘Go for it.’ Others said I had no chance if I wasn’t in a political party. Thankfully, they were wrong.”
In 2017, he was elected to Somerset County Council.
He added: “It’s been my true vocation — giving me something which is, without question, better than anything I’ve ever done before.
Two years later, I was also elected as an Independent to Somerset West and Taunton District Council.
“In 2019, I stood in the General Election in Taunton as an Independent.
“My chances were slim and were rather diminished by what became known as the Brexit election.”
John was elected to Somerset Council in 2022, when it replaced the county and five district councils.
Will he stand for election again?
“If the next election to Somerset Council were tomorrow, I’d definitely stand,” he said.
“I still feel I’ve got a lot to offer.
“As an Independent, I’m not tied to any political party and can listen to the debate and make — or change — my decisions as I choose.
“I haven’t had a holiday since 2014, which has helped me stay on top of everything.
“I’ve always been hands-on, but I do get to relax playing tennis, bowls, pickleball, and doing a bit of jive dancing.”
“I love socialising — and being a local councillor certainly gives me plenty of that.”
Ironically, for someone who used to help others form relationships through his dating agency, John is staunchly independent in his private life too, choosing to remain single for several years.
Here’s a link to the article in the Somerset County Gazette: https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/25277770.john-hunt-online-dating-car-dealerships-local-politics
