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Paul Hopfensperger
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Hopfensperger in 2008
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| Suffolk County Councillor for Tower Division | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 4 June 2009 | |
| Preceded by | New Seat |
| Succeeded by | Mark Ereira-Guyer |
| West Suffolk District Councillor for St Olaves Ward | |
| In office 2 May 2019 – 4 May 2023 | |
| Preceded by | New Seat |
| Succeeded by | Frank Stennett |
| St Edmundsbury Borough Councillor for St Olaves Ward | |
| In office 5 May 2011 – 2 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Ereira-Guyer |
| Succeeded by | Seat Abolished |
| Bury St Edmunds Town Councillor for St Olaves Ward | |
| In office 5 May 2016 – 4 May 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Cockle |
| Succeeded by | Frank Stennett |
| Bury St Edmunds Town Councillor for Eastgate Ward | |
| In office 6 June 2003 – 6 June 2006 | |
| Preceded by | New Seat |
| Succeeded by | Patricia Warby |
| Deputy Mayor of Bury St Edmunds | |
| In office 2019–2020 | |
| In office 2005–2006 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1963-03-27) 27 March 1963 (age 61) |
| Political party | Independent (2008–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Conservative (Before 2008) |
| Spouse | Rebecca (Beccy) |
| Alma mater | The Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (now Anglia Ruskin University) |
| Website | website |
| Nickname | Hoffy |
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Paul Hopfensperger (born 1963) is an International #1 Amazon bestselling author and music artist, former British Open Water Swimmer, and former Independent Politician.
During his youth he was a competitive swimmer representing his home town of Bury St Edmunds and the County of Suffolk, including captaining the Bury St Edmunds Swimming Club ('The Bury Beavers') on three occasions between 1978 and 1981.
He has completed two solo crossings of The English Channelin2007 and 2008[1] (the 84th person in history to do so) one relay (2010) as part of the six person 'Team Iryna International English Channel Relay Team'[2]
His first swim in 2007 was relayed live from the English Channel by on board reporter Jon Wright for BBC Radio Suffolk. Updates were broadcast throughout the day for the duration of the 13 hour 52 minute swim.[3] It also featured in the first episode of the Emmy nominated Discovery Channel documentary Human Body: Pushing the Limits.
In 2008 he competed at two FINA Open Water Grand Prix[4], becoming oldest known person to represented Great Britainat Open Water Swimming.[5][6]
He unsuccessfully stood for election to St Edmundsbury Borough Councilin1999 and 2003 (losing by just 5 votes) before before being co-opted onto the newly formed Bury St Edmunds Town Council at it's second ever meeting in June 2003, and serving as Deputy Mayor from 2005-2006.
He was elected to the newly created Tower DivisiononSuffolk County Councilin2005 as a Conservative, serving as the Vice Chairman of the Roads and Transport Scrutiny Committee and Assistant to the Portfolio Holder for the London 2012 Olympic Games. However in February 2008 he quit the party over it's policy to abolish the county's middle schools.[7] A month later he received a police caution under the Representation of the People Act during a by election for Bury St Edmunds Town Council for stating "It looks like Paul Farmer has done well" on his website after returning from the opening of the postal votes.[8][9]
He unsuccessfully ran for re-election to Suffolk County Councilin2009inHardwick Division, before winning a seat on St Edmundsbury Borough Councilin2011 which he held until 2023, by which time St Edmundsbury had merged with Forest Heath to become West Suffolk District Council.[10]
In the 2017 general election he nominated to run for Parliament in the Bury St Edmunds constituency[11] but he withdrew before the election for personal reasons. He did run in 2019[12] finishing 4th (of 4 candidate) with 2.7% of the vote.
In 2021 he heavily criticized the post Brexit trading arrangements as a "complete and utter disaster". He would go on to say "If anyone tells me 'we knew what we were voting for' I say to them you certainly didn't know what you were voting for."[13]
UK Parliament elections
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Bury St Edmunds | Independent | 1,694 | 2.7 | Not elected (4th) | |
Suffolk County Council elections
| Date of election | Division | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Tower | Conservative | 2,747 | 28.3 | Elected | |
| 2009 | Hardwick | Independent | 824 | 28.8 | Not elected (2nd) | |
| 2013 | Hardwick | Independent | 737 | 27.7 | Not elected (2nd) | |
| 2017 | Tower | Independent | 1,623 | 20.3 | Not elected (3rd) | |
Borough and District Council elections
| Date of election | Ward | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Risbygate | Conservative | 442 | 39.7 | Not elected (3rd) | |
| 2003 | Southgate | Conservative | 744 | 48.1 | Not elected (2nd) | |
| 2011 | St Olaves | Independent | 421 | 33.6 | Elected | |
| 2015 | St Olaves | Independent | 835 | 37.8 | Elected | |
| 2019 | St Olaves | Independent | 680 | 50.9 | Elected | |
Bury St. Edmunds Town Council elections
| Date of election | Ward | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Eastgate | Independent | Co-opted (voted in by members of the council) | |||
| 2016 | St Olaves | Independent | 288 | 46.7 | Elected[14] | |
| 2019 | St Olaves | Independent | 712 | 53.3 | Elected[15] | |
His wife Rebecca is currently a West Suffolk District and Suffolk County Council councillor and the former MayorofBury St Edmunds (2005 - 2006).
In 2010 he appeared on the quiz show Eggheads where he captained a team of 6 English Channel swimmers called "Channel Buoys and Gulls" who had a combined total of 42 English Channel swims between them at the time of filming[16]. The team included the King of The English Channel, Kevin Murphy who has swum the English Channel a record 34 times.
During the COVID pandemic, he co-authored a book with many renowned international speakers including Jim Rohn's 19 year business partner Kyle Wilson, Denis Waitley, and Zig Ziglar's son Tom Ziglar called “Bringing Value, Solving Problems and Leaving a Legacy” which became an International #1 Amazon Bestseller.
He also released a song entitled 'Just Keep Swimming Until You Get To France!' based on his experience of swimming the Channel, which also hit number one on the Amazon chart.[17]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Home in England | Himself - Working in his father's shop | 30 Minute BBC Documentary featuring his late Father Johann Hopfensperger |
| 2008 | Human Body: Pushing the Limits | Himself - English Channel Swimmer | Episode 1: "Strength"[18] |
| 2010 | Eggheads (game show) | Himself - Captain of an English Channel Swimmers team. | Series 11, Episode 73, 'Channel Buoys and Gulls'[19][20] |
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