Our opening hours have changed... Our office and telephone lines are now open from 8:45am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday. On Fridays, our opening times are 8:45am to 12:45pm.
Our Team
Amy Woolcott
BA(Hons) FPFS Certs CII (FS,MP&ER)
DIRECTOR & CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNER
Amy joined the Star House team in 2010 and is now a Director of the firm and a Chartered Financial Planner, having achieved both Fellowship and Chartered status with the Personal Finance Society.
Amy helps both our new and long-standing clients to secure their financial futures, advising on retirement planning, tax planning and investing for families, business owners, charities and trusts.
A native Londoner, Amy relocated to the South West permanently after graduating from the University of Bristol. Although many of our clients are local to our offices in the Chew Valley, Amy also looks after a large number of Star House clients farther afield across the South East of England.
Away from the office, Amy can usually be found in rehearsals for her choral and orchestral commitments, or exploring local walking routes with her young son, husband and Labrador.
Damian Watkins
BSc FPFS Certs CII(MP&ER)
DIRECTOR & CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNER
Damian joined Star House in 2005 and is now a Director of the firm, having previously worked in Retirement Income for one of the largest IFA/Asset Management Companies in the UK and earlier in the Pensions department of one of Australia’s most renowned Wealth Management firms.
A graduate in Economics with Actuarial Studies from Southampton University, Damian has achieved Chartered Financial Planner status and is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society.
A keen fan of Welsh rugby, Damian spends most of his time advising clients as well as being responsible for researching new investment and tax planning opportunities.
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Paula Bond
DipPFS Certs CII(MP&ER)
FINANCIAL ADVISER
Paula joined Star House in November 2013, having worked for the UK’s largest bank since 1985. Her last five years at the bank involved helping Premier clients with their wealth requirements.
Paula holds the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and advises clients on investments, pensions, protection and general financial planning.
Paula’s outside interests include keeping fit, travel and short story writing.
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Samuel Blanning
BSc(Hons) APFS CertsCII(MP&ER)
CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNER
Samuel graduated in Economics at the University of Bath in 2007 and has worked for Star House since 2009, becoming an adviser in 2018.
Sam specialises in more technical cases such as pension transfers and achieved Chartered status in early 2019.
Sam is a keen road and cross-country runner and has completed several marathons and ultramarathons, and is also currently studying Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His other interests include science fiction and chess.
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Julie Palmer
Dip PFS
PARAPLANNER
Julie joined Star House in December 2018 having worked in Financial Services since 2006. Her career has involved a number of paraplanning and senior roles at companies such as Standard Life, HSBC, RBS and most recently Wealth at Work.
Julie heads up the Paraplanning team at Star House, using her technical knowledge and experience to support the advisers and assist with client administration.
Away from work, Julie enjoys travelling and spending time with family. Her interests include science fiction films and reading suspense thrillers.
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Rosie Bentley
BA(Hons)
CLIENT ADMINISTRATOR
Rosie has worked in financial services since 2001 after graduating in English Studies at the University of Gloucestershire, and has completed the Certificate in Financial Planning.
With a keen eye for detail, Rosie oversees aspects of the company administration of our clients’ financial affairs.
Outside of work Rosie is a keen walker and can often be found hiking around Somerset.
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Sherry Ho
BA(Hons) Dip PFS
TECHNICAL PARAPLANNER
Sherry started at Star House in June 2019 and has a degree in Accounting
from the University of Glasgow. She earned the Diploma in Financial Planning in 2018.
As part of our support team, Sherry works on client administration, research and specialises in producing technical reports for client reviews in the form of spreadsheets and forecasts.
Outside of work, Sherry enjoys travelling, spending time with family and friends and is always looking to try out new cooking recipes.
Rachel Chivers
LLB FCILex
CLIENT ADMINISTRATOR
Rachel joined the administration team at Star House in January 2020, having performed a similar role at another financial advice firm for the past thirteen years.
Rachel has a background in Law and has a Law Degree from UWE, is qualified as a Legal Executive and has previously specialised in commercial litigation.
Rachel's role at Star House involves work with the administration team to support our advisers with client reviews and handles our client's financial affairs.
Outside of work, Rachel enjoys walking or doing canicross with her dog on the Mendip Hills. She also holds the 2nd Dan black belt in free-style kickboxing and does pilates in her spare time.
Charlotte Greethurst
BA (Hons)
CLIENT ADMINISTRATOR
Charlotte started at Star House in March 2022, joining the support team to carry out client administration, review work and processing.
Charlotte grew up in Spain and moved to the UK to study Banking and Finance at the University of the West of England, graduating in 2020. She is beginning CII Level 4 qualifications, with the aim of achieving the Diploma in Financial Planning.
With a keen interest in musical theatre, Charlotte enjoys singing and dancing, as well as reading and listening to true crime podcasts.
Christie Antoniou
CLIENT ADMINISTRATOR
Christie joined the support team at Star House in February 2022 and helps deal with processing general administration and client reviews.
She has a background in business administration and is now learning the ropes in financial services.
Outside of work, Christie enjoys looking after her two horses - Cookie and Cedric - and takes them eventing on most weekends through the summer.
