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 for holiday visitors the experience of staying on a working farm 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: 07971 813864
Email: piers.spence@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: 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. She now works at Kingsbridge Community College as an examinations invigilator and supports Roger with the administration of his business. Paula is vice-chair of Parish Council and serves as parish representative for schools and young people and is PC rep on the Parish Hall Committee.
Tel: 01548 581495
Email: paula.doust@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: 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 Parish Council in February 2019 and is our rep on the Chillington Community Association and Chillington Woodland Volunteer Group, as well as Footpaths Warden for the Parish.
Tel: 01548 581319
Email: gail.addison@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: 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: jonathan.ansell@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: Kellaton TQ7 2ES
Oliver Brooking
Olly Brooking grew up in Chillington and Hallsands and attended school in Stokenham and Kingsbridge. He took a Diploma in Agriculture at Bicton College before spending a gap year on a seed farm in Cambridgeshire, followed by work and travel in Australia, where he gained experience combining and seeding hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. Olly is one of the owners of Stokeley Farm Shop, and manages the farm, shop, cafe and bar, working with his team to provide a welcoming experience for both locals and visitors. Outside of work he has a long-standing connection with Kingsbridge Rugby Club, where he played from the age of 8 and now supports as a sponsor, and in his younger days was an active member of Kingsbridge Young Farmers. Olly lives at Island Farm with his partner Rosemary.
Tel: 07835 363231
Address: Stokenham TQ7 2SP
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 Schools and Young People representative and a Parish Snow Warden.
Tel: 01548 581058
Email: adrian.goodman@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: 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 nursing career in the NHS, and later as an academic in the Universities of Plymouth, Chester and the Open University. During this time Kim explored the health benefits of contact with nature for her doctoral research. Upon retirement from full time work Kim took up external examining roles, and worked as a nurse vaccinator throughout the South Hams. Kim is the Community Voluntary Service and Health Care representative on the Council and oversees the Parish Emergency Plan.
Tel: 07942 289114
Email: kim.greening@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: 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, and on the parish council is representative for the Coleridge Bus and Stokenham Village Green.
Tel: 07479 006114
Email: chris.hart@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: 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, and deputises on the Parish Hall Committee.
Tel: 01548 511502
Email: tim.lynn@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: 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. He is planning lead on the parish council and council rep for Sustainable South Hams.
Tel: 01548 511551
Email: richard.pain@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: Dunstone TQ7 2LW
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. On the parish council Liz represents Beeson Village Green and Sustainable South Hams, and is Schools and Young People liaison.
Tel: 07967 116682
Email: liz.robinson@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: 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 Parish Council, Charles is a Footpaths representative and Parish Drainage Warden.
Tel: 01548 580623
Email: charles.rogers@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: Beeson TQ7 2HW
Steve Taylor
Steve Taylor was born and bred in the South Hams and attended Stokenham Primary followed by Kingsbridge Community College. He lives in Stokenham with his wife and young family, where he runs his own building and property development company. With strong roots in the area, Steve is passionate about preserving the character of the South Hams while at the same time maintaining its ability to provide homes and jobs in a living community where the next generation can build their lives and futures. Joining the Parish Council felt like a natural way to play a part in helping shape the place where his family is growing up.
Tel: 07306 089414
Email: steve.taylor@stokenham-pc.gov.uk
Address: Stokenham TQ7 2SF
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