LCN Highways & Transport Working Group

Cllr Blatchford's Register of Interests

About Philip

I was born in Paulton Hospital and spent the first part of my life living on the edge of Midsomer Norton. Leaving home I moved to Chilcompton, joining the Parish Council and then the Village Hall committee after a few years (which after 7 years I Chaired for 3 years). I left the village and Parish Council some 17 years later moving to Binegar, joining that Parish Council a year later when a vacancy arose (and ran the village playground committee for a few of years), leaving in 2022 after selling our house having served 11 years. I am currently the Chair and Clerk to Emborough Parish Meeting, a post I have held since May 2016. I joined St Cuthbert Out Parish Council in June 2022.

I am trained as a Civil/Structural Engineer and am a qualified teacher, but worked in IT for 17 years prior to being made redundant, then window cleaning for a number of years after that whilst growing our farm of mainly pedigree Ryeland/Coloured Ryeland sheep, Pedigree Highland Cows, alpacas and a range of poultry. We are currently expanding and diversifying our business into our new farm and then intend working with local schools.

Other interests include carpentry, photography, our dogs, weaving and doing things with my hand (fixing and making things). I am on the Ryeland Flock Book South West Committe, am currently setting up the Highland Cattle Club South West at the request of the Highland Cattle Society.

I have been married for almost 14 years.

• Staffing Committee - Chairman

Cllr Brown's Register of Interests will follow shortly.

About Toby

I moved to the parish a couple of years ago into one of the new estates having lived in Bristol for the best part of a decade. However, I spent much of the pandemic in the area which rekindled my love of the countryside having grown up in rural Norfolk and Yorkshire and so wanted to relocate here. I've hiked lots of times round the parish with my dog and more recently have been brave enough to try my hand at foraging,

I've wanted to get involved in volunteering locally for some time and jumped at the opportunity when I heard there was a vacancy on the council. It's an important time for local government and I want to contribute to being good custodians of our hamlets and villages, the people who live in them, and the nature that surrounds them. I work in the public sector in higher education and before that I spent some time working for politicians in Cardiff and Westminster. I'm a trade union rep and chair of my local branch. I've also been involved in disability rights for a significant time.

Aside from the hiking, I enjoy: spending time buying and listening to vinyl records, baking bread, and researching, buying and drinking wine. I also have a life-long love of Test Match Special.

• Asset Management Committee.
• Finance & Scrutiny Committee.
• Allotments Working Group.
• Easton Jubilee Playing Field Working Group.
• Environmental Working Group.
• Strategic Planning Working Group
• Dulcote Recreation Ground Board of Trustees

Cllr Cooke's Register of Interests

About Martin:

I am third generation of the Cooke family.

My grandfather was the first manager of WH Smith in Wells, until he started his own newsagent business in Queen Street, later moving to St Cuthbert Street. In the eighties I became involved with the family newsagent business and was also at this time a reviewer of the local newspapers on BBC local radio. My other grandfather was an examiner on the Cheddar Valley Line. I have one married daughter and granddaughter. I was involved with The City of Wells Lions Club, for several years. I was involved with The Wells Operatic Society at the time of the purchase of the Little Theatre in the 1970s and I have always been keen on local community issues. I joined St Cuthbert (Out) Parish Council in 2019, which I was happy to do following an unsuccessful attempt to be elected to Wells City Council (Central Ward).

• Planning Committee.
• Environmental Working Group
• Strategic Planning Working Group
• Wookey Hole Traffic Working Group
• Wells & Rural LCN Council Rrepresentative
• LCN Active Travel Working Group - Chair

Cllr Hathway's Register of Interests

About Tony:

We moved from Bristol to this parish in 2005. After taking early retirement I became involved with a variety of local groups and societies. I spent hours walking around the parish with our dog and discovered the many attractions of the area. It also became apparent that changes were taking place that were not always in the best interest of the local communities. In 2019 I decided it was time to join St Cuthbert Out Parish Council to help conserve and enhance this delightful part of Somerset.

My professional background is a mix of ingredients in a fusion of architecture, urban and transport planning. Work has taken me to many parts of the UK, plus Kenya, Nigeria and India. My early work was with developers on large housing and commercial projects. I have also been involved in a variety of transport schemes, the design of eco buildings and new settlements plus low cost housing for the urban poor in developing countries. Toward the end of my career I worked at the University of the West of England directing a research and consultancy unit which had a strong focus on sustainable development.

Retirement has given me a chance to develop a wide range of interests which include beekeeping, gardening, music, theatre, water divining and wildlife rehabilitation. My daughter and grandson (plus dog) have recently moved to Somerset which adds icing to the cake.

• Planning Committee - Chairman
• Finance & Scrutiny Committee - Chairman
• Staffing Committee
• Allotments Working Group
• Community SpeedWatch (CSW) Representative
• Wells & Rural LCN Council Representative

Cllr Hayden's Register of Interests

About Marcel:

Previous Roles Chair of Planning, Staffing, Finance and Scrutiny 2015 to 2020. Chairman of the Parish Council 2020-2023.

Moved from London to Somerset, Wookey Hole with my wife Thena and two very young Children in 1989 to join Somerfield Stores

Professionally after finishing further education I joined Lipton's as a Tea and Coffee buyer in the late 70's and after a merger with Safeway in 1985 and joined the Somerfield Group in 1987. This resulted in me relocating to Wookey Hole in June 1989. Fortunately working in the area of procurement ever since until I took early retirement in 2015 when the Co-op purchased Somerfield as I wished to remain in the lovely county of Somerset.

I have been involved in all aspects of procurement for most categories within a Supermarket and was involved in working with local producers during the Foot and Mouth and BSE crisis. I have enjoyed the love of good wines as was fortunate to Head up Wines and Spirits for 4 years. You could say retail was in my blood and I have been very fortunate to have had a very enjoyable job whilst managing to travel the world on procurement trips to circa 40 countries.

My two Children both live locally and we now have 4 Grand children which are all our pride and joy and keep me very busy.

I look forward to continue representing the parishioners of St Cuthbert's Out Parish.

• Planning Committee
• Staffing Committee
• Dulcote Recreation Ground Board of Trustees

Konrad's Register of Interests can be found here.

About Konrad

I grew up in Wells and the surrounding area attending schools in Croscombe, Blackford and Wells. When I left school I went into the motor trade and amongst other jobs in Estate Agency and Landscaping, this was more or less where I stayed until I met my wife, Karen, and shortly afterwards sought a more secure position soldiering in the British Army.

After 8 years, I left the military to settle back in the area in order to to start a family with Karen. We chose Wells as parents lived closeby and we really couldn't think of a better place to settle as a family. After a false start requiring a small stint back in the motor trade (some things never go away!) I began my career as a Civil Servant back in 2018.

I want to get involved with the Parish Council of St Cuthberts Out as I feel passionately about where I live and I want to have an influence on factors that impact it.

• Environment Working Group
• Strategic Planning Working Group
• LCN & Parish Paths Liaison Officer

Cllr Humphrey's Register of Interests

About Ian:

Ian grew up in North Wales, moving to Somerset in 1987 after spending 4 years at the University of Birmingham, gaining degrees in Physics and Astrophysics and Computer Science. In 1988 he joined Thorn EMI in Wells, working primarily in naval electronics and software. When the site closed in 2010 he used the opportunity to set up his own engineering consultancy business. He joined SCOPC at the 2019 elections to help put something back into the community that had become a much loved home. He moved to his current address in South Horrington in 1999.

Ian has two great passions. As a life-long distance runner, he is a coach and chair of Mendip Athletics Club, and has held positions at county and SW committee level within the sport. He organises events for the Mendip area junior schools and has been Race Director of the Glastonbury Road Run for the last 20 years. He is a national athletics official, appearing regularly at televised meetings and in January 2020 was appointed as chief timekeeper at a UK championship event for the first time.

Ian's other passion is Astronomy, and has both a back-garden observatory and a robotic telescope in the south of Spain, which is used for photography and some personal research projects. He has had photos published in print and on-line media and has given illustrated talks to astronomy clubs across the South West.

• Finance & Scrutiny Committee
• Dulcote Recreation Ground Board of Trustees

Cllr John's Register of Interests are here.

About Sebastian

Sebastian graduated from university in 2011, a year later he started working at Morrisons in Wells when it first opened and remained there for the next nine years. In 2014 he moved from where he had grown up Axbridge to Wells. During that time he also began working at the Fletcher House care home as a kitchen assistant and at the Almshouse Tea Shop back in Axbridge as a self employed waiter. In 2021 Sebastian left Morrisons and Fletcher House to become a Kitchen Assistant in the Torwood Care Home in South Horrington.

In the last few years Sebastian trained to be a Swim Teaching Assistant at the Kings Fitness and Leisure Centre. In September 2021 he was offered a place there as a Swim Teacher and continues to teach swimming there to this day. In 2023 he qualified as a full Swim Teacher and also trained as a lifeguard in October that year.

Before joining St Cuthberts (Out) Parish Council Sebastian had previously served on Wells City Council before losing his seat in 2022. During that time he served briefly as Vice Chair on the Climate and Biodiversity sub committee before it was disbanded, he also served on the finance and council matters committee.

• Planning Committee
• Asset Management Committee
• Wells & Rural LCN Flooding Working Group

Cllr Lunnon's Register of Interests

• Asset Management Committee
• Dulcote Recreation Ground Board of Trustees

Cllr McCoy's Register of Interests

About Simon:

I live in the hamlet of Worminster with my wife and three children.

We moved to Somerset in 2019, after many years living in different places, including Mozambique, Vietnam, Scotland and Luxembourg.

We really enjoyed living in different countries, but it felt like time to stop moving around quite so much and put down some roots in the beautiful county of Somerset.

I work for the UK Foreign Office as an economist. My work centres on how the UK invests in, and provides aid to, developing countries, mainly in Africa and Asia.

In my spare time, I like to be outdoors as much as possible, spending time with my family, cycling and walking and pottering in the garden. A particular passion of mine is the game of squash which I have played since I was young.

• Asset Management Committee
• Staffing Committee
• Coxley Village Hall Representative
• Dulcote Recreation Ground Board of Trustees

Cllr Mitchell's Register of Interests

• Planning Committee
• Asset Management Committee
• Coxley Village Hall Representative
• Wells & Rural LCN Flooding Working Group
• Jim is also a Trustee of the Coxley Community Land Trust.

Cllr Reeves's Register of Interests

About Jim:

After graduating from Sheffield University, I was commissioned into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). I served 5 years in the Regular Army in BAOR, Colchester and Berlin; and another 30 years in the Territorial and Reserve Army including an operational tour to Iraq in 2006.

In civilian life I joined Thorn EMI as an ROV pilot and team leader working for 5 years at the British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre in the West Highlands before moving south to become first a sonar analyst and later an engineering project manager.

I moved to a job with Thorn Transit Systems International in Wells in '97 as a bid and project manager in mass transit fare collection systems.

In '99 I joined the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, later QinetiQ, working in Farnborough, Bristol and Boscombe Down in the management of various maritime and airborne Test and Evaluation projects retiring in 2010.

I joined St Cuthbert Out Parish Council in 2009 and served as Chair of the council from 2018 to 2020.

I am married with two children and two grandchildren, have been a SCUBA diver, on and off, for 45 years and ride a 40 year old motorcycle.

Cllr Southwell's Register of Interests

About Anne:

About Jacqui

• Asset Management Committee - Chair
• Planning Committee
• Staffing Committee
• Dulcote Recreation Ground Board of Trustees