Julia Davies - Chair

Julia was born in the 1950s on Merseyside.  She left school and studied English at London University.  After working for a short time at the BBC in London, Julia did a year of teacher training and subsequently worked in South Wales before moving with her husband to Hertfordshire.  They lived initially in Hoddesdon before moving with their two children to Stanstead Abbotts in 1993.

Julia retired from teaching English in secondary schools in 2012 and became a member of Stanstead Abbotts Parish Council at around that time.  Whilst chairing the Parish Council East Herts District Council Leader requested that the Parish Council work with St Margarets Parish Council to draw up a Neighbourhood Plan to accommodate 94 new homes.

 

Mike Dormon - Treasurer

Mike lived in the village for more than 30 years and in that time have been involved in a number of village organisations including the Scouts, St Margaretsbury Recreation Ground Trust, Village Hall Trust, and the Parish Council, as well as being involved in the preparation of the village plan. Mike is married and has six children, all but one having now left home. Mike recently moved just out of the village to Roydon. He is a retired Chartered Surveyor, having run his own consultancy business for 25 years and before that was a partner in a large London firm.

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Robert Bennett

Robert has lived in Stanstead Abbotts for 15 years. His background was in education, teaching both long-term school refusers and young offenders. He also taught adult literacy and numeracy for more than 20 years eventually becoming Director of an educational charity in South London. On moving to Hertfordshire he worked for the County Council as Adult Learning Quality Officer and then to Haringey as the Adult Learning Head of Service.

He has supported many smaller voluntary sector groups and cooperatives, undertaking a number of roles in these organisations including Trustee. His current voluntary sector memberships include: The RSPB, Woodland Trust and Friends of Deerhurst Church.

Whilst his degree qualification was in Fine Art (painting) he has developed his interests in local history and particularly the Early Medieval period. He has maintained membership of the British Council for Archaeology for many years and is a member of SALHS.

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Christina Whellams: Secretary

Christina has over 20 years of experience as a Personal Assistant in various industries, 10 years experience in higher education, as Programme Manager and Head of Drama Administration at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and has recently been appointed as Clerk and Responsible Finance Officer for Stanstead St Margarets Parish Council.

 

She is also a qualified Swimming Instructor, a School Governor at Cranbourne Primary School in Hoddesdon, and Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator for The Granary.

 

She lives with her partner and daughter in the village and has lived here for 16 years.

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Sarah Chapman

Sarah has lived in Stanstead Abbotts for fifteen years, after moving here from London in 2005. She was born and brought up in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, before moving to London to attend university.

She has over 30 years experience in social and community housing, having worked for a variety of housing associations, local authorities and housing co-operatives.  Her main area of expertise is housing and tenancy management of existing properties, but she has also some experience of housing development.  She has extensive experience of the voluntary sector having sat on the management committees of several voluntary organisations and charities working in the disability and education sectors.

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Gini Trower

Gini has lived in the village since 2001 and before that in the 1990s. She has married into a family who have lived in the village  since 1855. She is a great believer in community and spent eleven years on the parish council, five years running the Beaver Colony and has been involved in the NP since inception. She runs community gardening sessions in the village and is a Montessori trained teacher  having spent 20 years running nursery schools, in London, Essex and Stanstead Abbotts. Since then she has run garden and nature workshops in nursery schools, primary schools and run after school  gardening clubs in inner city schools. She has a degree in Environmental Conservation and runs and manages the small farm where she lives. She has a  small herd of Red Poll Cows and grows organic vegetables. She is a huge believer in getting children outdoors and learning about nature  and this is the most important part of her week after looking after her grandchildren. 

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Rowan Lloyd

Rowan has lived in Stanstead Abbotts for 30 years, raising a family in the local schools and children's clubs, being connected with faith groups, growing a business employing a training local craftspeople and caring for elderly parents in the village when the time came. Rowan studied Natural Landforms, and social Land Use in Bristol, and followed her interest in ecology in the Snowdonia National Park working for the Field Studies Council. Other experiences include teaching locally, interior design and finally in building conservation, crusading for re-purposing old buildings and the importance of careful use of natural resources. Rowan joined the NP to protect the rural nature and aethetics of the villages, and ensure local young people can be the next generation to live here. She is on the Ecology, Heritage and Design teams.  

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Clare Maynard

Clare has lived in the village since 2000 and is Chair of St Margarets Parish Council. Clare previously worked in the corporate insurance industry for 27 years before settling down with a family in the village. Clare has been involved in local initiatives, namely the Riverside Festival and local youth club. Clare currently has a number of local voluntary roles, one being a moorings ranger for the Canal and River Trust, which includes building relationships between the boating community and our local parishioners. To date Clare works at Willowthorpe Care Home for the elderly as Engagement Lead. Hobbies include running distances and competing in obstacle runs preferably in mud!

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Robin Jewett

A Londoner by birth and schooling and then moving onto professional life of manufacturing, service and consultancy side of paper production for 52 years. This involved residing worldwide with extensive travel. Interests involved 46 years of scouting worldwide, churchwork, and food banks as well as other charitable work.

Although Robin had an intermittent residence in Stanstead Abbotts, he returned from overseas over 4 years ago continuing on with scouting, volunteering at Barnardos a St Margarets train station adopter, assisting directors of Rivermeads Resident Association and working on an allotment.

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Andrew Clayden

Born in 1954, Andrew spent his childhood years in Cheshunt, attending St. Mary’s High School, before attending both Ware and Turnford Colleges, where he studied Art and Design, before being employed by Enfield Highway Co-op in their printing department. Moving firstly to Lower Edmonton, then back to Cheshunt, he started his own printing business (ACP) in 1981, which he ran in Stanstead Abbotts until 2019 when he retired.

Married to Carol, they have five grown up children and ten grandchildren and moved into the village in 2004, where he enjoys his hobbies of music, countryside walks and playing (badly!) the guitar. He has a keen interest in our village and surrounding area and is privileged to serve on the Neighbourhood Plan committee, which he has done since its’ inception. Andrew now lives in Cambridge but still actively participates by helping proof read documentation for the plan.

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Maria Tasker

Maria has lived in the village for in excess of 39 years, raising a family whilst being an established hairdresser who once owned 'Ziggys' in the village and now a mobile hairdresser. Maria enjoys the outdoor life, green space and the history of the village. As a resident of Netherfield Lane, Maria understands the need to evolve whilst protecting as much wildlife and green space as possible. Maria loves gardening, growing vegetables and protecting wildlife. Maria believes in supporting and speaking up for those who have lived in the village for a long time and is part of the Heritage and Ecology sub groups.

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Tom Foy

Born in Manchester. Studied Pharmacology at University College London. Taught for 4 years then joined the pharmaceutical industry, mostly involved in the chemotherapy of infectious and malignant diseases.  After a 5 year spell in the UK, I worked in Singapore, Thailand, The Netherlands and France before returning. Latterly worked in the biotech and health tech sectors. I have been a Great Amwell Parish Councillor for more than 15 years and a Trustee of the St. Margaretsbury Recreation Ground Trust for about 10 years. I recognise that change is inevitable but I like to think that we can manage the process to preserve all that we like about our local environment.

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Sharon Strutt

Sharon has lived in the village for almost 30 years.  She is a qualified planner, a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and works as Head of Regeneration for the London Borough of Redbridge.  Married with two grown up daughters, Sharon has enjoyed being part of the local community for many years, including 20 years as a brownie guider in nearby Hoddesdon and more recently as part of the Neighbourhood Planning group. She enjoys walking, particularly around our local countryside and further afield whenever possible.

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Janette Reynolds 

Janette was raised in Winchmore Hill, North London, before moving to Cheshunt for 18 months, before settling in Stanstead Abbotts in 1993. After a career in pensions, becoming an Associate of the Pension Management Institute, she retired. Janette has a keen interest in the environment and the village, particularly the amenities for children, teenagers and the elderly; and is a member of the Community sub-group of the Neighbourhood Plan Committee.

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Anne Washbourn

Anne is originally from New Zealand but has been living in Stanstead Abbotts since 2010. She is a registered architect, member of the RIBA and currently works in London. She has experience in several sectors including residential, community, schools, and commercial. She has two children who attend the local primary school and various local clubs, and looks after their dog, cat and two giant rabbits. She enjoys running along the various waterways and around the countryside in the surrounding area. She has enjoyed being part of the Neighbourhood Plan since inception.

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Jacqueline Veater - Consultant

Hertford Resident for 13 years, passionate about retaining Green Belt land, improving biodiversity and conserving heritage. Consultant for adopted neighbourhood plans for Hunsdon, Much Hadham, Thundridge, Hertford Sele, Hertford Bengeo, Braughing and Walkern, to name just a few.

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