Piers Spence
Piers Spence swapped a desk in the City for a pair of wellies when, in 2011, he quit the board of Quarto Publishing and moved to Cotmore Farm, aiming to recreate the experience of holidaying on a working smallholding that he and his wife Sue remember from their respective childhoods in Ireland and Cornwall. The last of their three children having left the family home, they now have more time to spend with their horses, rare-breed pigs, Shetland sheep, ducks, chickens, and (in Piers’ case) a garage-full of old Italian motorcycles in various states of repair. Piers chairs the Parish Council, edits the website and is Parish Tree Warden.
Tel: 01548 580374
Email: piers.spence@cotmorefarm.com
Address: Cotmore Farm, Cotmore TQ7 2LR
Paula Doust
Paula Doust was born in Beeson and spent her childhood in Beeson and Chillington, attending school in Stokenham and then Kingsbridge. She is married to Roger and blessed with four daughters and five grandchildren. In her earlier career Paula worked in Kingsbridge Community Primary School where she qualified as an HLTA (Higher Level Teaching Assistant) – in fact she was the first HLTA in Kingsbridge primary, and among the first in Devon. A former chair of Stokenham pre-school, she now supports Roger with the administration of his business. Paula is vice-chair of Parish Council and serves as parish rep on Beesands Village Green committee.
Tel: 01548 581495
Email: pauladoust@btinternet.com
Address: 3 Gratton Drive, Chillington TQ7 2LT
Gail Addison
Gail Addison was raised in Manchester and worked there and in Somerset and Devon as a civil servant for over 20 years. After many holidays spent in the South Hams she and husband Brian finally moved to Chillington in 2005. Gail enjoys walking the footpaths and Coast Path in all weathers, and her appreciation of the outdoors and the natural world drew her to volunteer at Slapton Ley Field Centre and with the Woodland Trust. Gail joined the Parish Council in February 2019 and represents the Council on the Chillington Community Association and Chillington Woodland Volunteer Group.
Tel: 01548 581319
Email: gailaddison@hotmail.co.uk
Address: 33 Green Park Way, Chillington TQ7 2HY
Jonathan Ansell
Jonathan Ansell has lived within spitting distance of Start Point since the age of five. A former pupil at Stokenham Primary (as were his children), he has been involved with the land all his life, first as a farmer, then as a garden contractor, from which he is now slowly withdrawing to spend more time on his barn conversion. For 25 years Jonathan was an auxiliary coastguard; he is now chairman of the local history group and an active member of the Devon Rural Skills Trust. He has served on the Parish Council for 20 years and represents it on Stokenham Parish Hall Committee, the Coleridge Association of Parish Councils, and the Kingsbridge & Salcombe Estuary Conservation Forum.
Tel: 01548 511325
Email: ansell@kellaton.freeserve.co.uk
Address: Lower Kellaton Farm Barn, Kellaton TQ7 2ES
Leslie Cowley
Les Cowley, a Liverpudlian by birth, counts himself fortunate to have had only two employers in his working life: the RAF, in which he served for 14 years, then Unisys, where he worked as a computer and communications engineer. Since retiring to Stokenham with his wife Lesley, Les has engaged with the local community as a driver and treasurer for the Start Circle of Friends, and latterly as a local councillor with a special interest in housing and planning. An avid traveller and keen gardener, Les serves on the Finance Group, is Coleridge Bus representative, and sits on the Stokenham Parish Hall Committee.
Tel: 01548 581264
Email: lesliecowley1@btinternet.com
Address: 11 Grenville Close, Stokenham TQ7 2SY
Adrian Goodman
Adrian Goodman was born and raised at Mattiscombe Farm and – apart from a spell after college learning the ropes on an arable farm in Australia – he has lived and worked there all his life. He attended local schools, as did his three children, and is married to Maria, who has been a Teaching Assistant at Stokenham Primary for many years, all of which gives him a keen interest in local education matters. Adrian has served on the council since 2011, where his extensive local knowledge is invaluable in guiding planning and development decisions in the Parish. He is a Footpaths representative and a Parish Snow Warden.
Tel: 01548 581058
Email: mattiscombe@icloud.com
Address: Mattiscombe Farm, Stokenham TQ7 2SR
Kim Greening
Kim Greening’s association with the Parish goes back to 1985, when she first holidayed in Torcross. In 1988 her family moved permanently to Stokenham and she returned regularly to the family home while building a career in the NHS and later as an academic in Plymouth University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery. Since retirement she has continued to work part-time as an external examiner and as a nurse vaccinator throughout the South Hams. Kim is a believer in the health benefits of contact with nature. She and husband Keith enjoy walking in the countryside as members of South Hams Ramblers, and the challenge of renovating their bungalow in Stokenham. Kim is Community Voluntary Service and Health Care representative on the Council.
Tel: 07942 289114
Email: kimgreening39@gmail.com
Address: Harcroft, Kiln Lane, Stokenham TQ7 2SQ
Chris Hart
Chris Hart was born on a Staffordshire farm, is half Welsh, and had his own farm until 2017. Along the way he had a career in the chemical industry, retrained in midlife as a psychologist, was a city councillor and a magistrate, and worked in Africa for over 20 years. Today he offers online help with relationships, anxiety and social skills, has columns in two African newspapers and three books on Amazon. He is currently Chair of the Chillington Community Association.
Tel: 07479 006114
Email: cgh.enq@gmail.com
Address: 36 Helmers Way, Chillington TQ7 2EZ
Tim Lynn
Tim Lynn was born in Stokenham, went to Stokenham Primary and then to Kingsbridge School (as it was then known). Upon leaving school he worked as a tractor driver on a number of local farms; he now specialises in groundworks for a local construction company. Tim joined the parish council in order to help local people. He lives in Hallsands with his wife and son, which is where he keeps the small fishing boat that is his life’s other passion. Tim is a member of the Kingsbridge & Salcombe Estuary Conservation Forum; he is a Snow Warden and a Beesands & Torcross Flood Gate Co-ordinator.
Tel: 01548 511502
Email: timlynn232@hotmail.com
Address: Fordsworth Cottages, Hallsands TQ7 2EX
Richard Pain
Richard Pain was born in Hampton Court and first visited the South Hams as a toddler, when his family holidayed in a cottage just four doors from what is now his home. They became regular visitors and eventually purchased a cottage in East Prawle. After taking a degree in architecture at Nottingham University Richard returned to southwest London to live and work and indulge his passion for Real Tennis. At the end of 2015 he moved to Dunstone with his wife and daughter. Richard has a particular interest in wildlife and nature conservation, and his professional expertise means he keeps a close eye on local planning issues.
Tel: 01548 511551
Email: rjkparch@mac.com
Address: Dunstone Cottage, Dunstone TQ7 2LW
Sue Proffitt
Sue Proffitt read English at St Andrews and worked in Adult Education as a teacher and trainer before changing direction and studying psychotherapy. She spent 20 years as a psychotherapist in the NHS and in the voluntary sector and now works as a tutor for Trauma Informed Schools UK. Sue has lived and worked in Devon since 2001 and is passionate about protecting its beautiful coastline and moors. She is a member of Devon Wildlife Trust, RSPB, CIWF and Greenpeace. When not working she swims in the sea, walks the coast path, and writes.
Tel: 07531 530877
Email: SueProffitt@owlmagic.com
Address: Chalfont Cottage, South Hallsands TQ7 2EY
Liz Robinson
Liz Robinson was born into a local farming family, grew up in Beeson, and attended Stokenham Primary School and Kingsbridge Community College. After graduating from Plymouth University with a degree in Environmental Science she worked and travelled in the Philippines, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. On returning to the UK she did a PGCE in Primary teaching, then moved back home to help run the family campsite. Liz now manages the site, helps husband Nick with his building business, and looks after two teenage children, both now themselves at KCC. Having spent all her life here, Liz wants the South Hams to remain an amazing place to live and raise a family.
Tel: 07967 116682
Email: lizrobinson76@hotmail.co.uk
Address: Kandy, Beeson TQ7 2HW
Charles Rogers
Charles Rogers was born and educated in the Parish, leaving at the age of 18 to train as an engineer. He subsequently worked overseas in a variety of exotic locations before returning aged 35 to raise a family in the place he loves best. Charles has been Stokenham Cub and Scout Master, and a member of Totnes Canoe Club and Kingsbridge Rugby Club. He has his own building business and together with his wife Lynda runs Higher Beeson House B&B. A former chair of the Parish Council, Charles now serves on Beeson Village Green Committee and is a Footpaths representative.
Tel: 01548 580623
Email: Crogers200@gmail.com
Address: Higher Beeson House, Beeson TQ7 2HW
Clerk and RFO
Gill Claydon
Gill Claydon, our long-suffering Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer, spent her early career in a solicitors’ office, which must have been ideal preparation for her current range of responsibilities: taking minutes of council meetings, council administration, and all official correspondence. Gill is the Parish Council’s only paid employee.
Tel: 01548 581185
Email: clerk@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: High Field, Kiln Lane, Stokenham TQ7 2SF