Parish Councillors

Matt Garner

Chair

Originally from Hertfordshire, Matt moved to Stratton in 2012 & was co-opted onto the Parish Council in 2020.

A Chartered Building Surveyor by training, Matt runs his own consultancy business and is a qualified Coach/Mentor - amongst other things!

Outside of work Matt loves the great outdoors, raising over £2000 for the Dorset & Somerset air ambulance completing the national 3 peaks with friends. Often seen walking around the village with Bertie the dog, on the allotment he shares with his partner Karen or in the Saxon Arms Matt’s decision to join the council was founded on the belief that for a community to thrive, those who are able to should make a contribution to its sustainability & diversity.

4 Penn Hill View

Stratton

DT2 9WF

Tel: 07969 561001

Simon Joslin

Vice Chair

Simon and his family moved to Stratton in the Summer of 2014 after really spreading his wings and moving out of Dorchester for the first time in his life aged 43!, although his family did hail from Stratton and another West Dorset village Rampisham up until the 1970s.

A committed father of two children and two labradors with his wife Mandy who teaches at Charminster Primary School is a keen sportsman who is passionate about sport and in particular Cricket, Rugby and Table Tennis and other interests include gardening along with being a keen Bath Rugby Fan and Real Ale enthusiast who assured his wife The Saxon had nothing to do whatsoever as to why he was so keen to move to the village!!

Simon is also a qualified coach who runs the Junior Section of Dorchester Cricket Club having been on the committee for over 25 years and accessed several grants to improve facilities which hopefully with this experience can secure some funding for the village.

Along with being employed in the Prison Service at HMP Dorchester and HMP The Verne for the past 24 years he is also a committed trade union representative and regularly lobby's MP's to improve working conditions for staff and to improve public services. I would dearly love to see the return of the bus services to rural villages when the country's finances recover after the pandemic to give a lifeline to those who need it and will be hopefully planting a seed and writing to our local MP to try and fight our cause for this to return at some point.

Please get in touch and if I can help with anything to assist the village . I will certainly try my best!

11 Penn Hill View

Stratton

01305 262850

Bradley Pimm

Councillor

Bradley moved to Stratton, with his wife Sarah, in 2018 and their daughter, Emily, was born in 2022.

Having been born and brought up on the Somerset Levels in a close community, he is very much for ‘rural living’.

Bradley has a career in the Financial Advisory Sector, requiring clear communication, effective decision making and planning, attributes which he feels will be useful as a Councillor and helpful to the Parish Council.

Bradley is committed to making a positive impact in promoting the Parish and the welfare for all its residents.

Tel: 07960 096891

Gill Slade

Councillor

Gill has lived in Stratton since 1999, having previously lived in Wareham since 1981. Before her retirement in 2009, she had worked as a senior manager for Dorset County Council, mainly in Adult Social Care, and has therefore gained a great deal of experience of local government practice and priorities. She has previously been a member of Stratton Parish Council for a number of years and during that time was responsible for the preparation of the Council’s Local Plan.

She has been heavily involved in various activities in the Parish including leading the planning for the Parish’s celebrations of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Coronation of King Charles. She has also been a member of the Stratton Summer Fayre Committee for a number of years. In addition to her work in the Parish, for 13 years Gill has been an active local fundraiser for Julia’s House, the children’s hospice.

Gill is committed to using her wide knowledge of the Parish, together with skills in communication and planning, to support the work of the Council in achieving its goals.

Ali Tong

Councillor

Ali moved with her daughter to Stratton after relocating from Hertfordshire in 2004 to take on a new position. After searching the Dorchester area and stopping in Stratton for lunch at the Saxon Arms, Ali was immediately struck by the charm and friendliness of the village. As luck would have it Saxonfield was in the process of being built and as she was due to take on a demanding new position a new build was just perfect.

After a career of over 40 years in the NHS at both local and national level Ali retired in 2019 only to return to the frontline as a Nurse when the pandemic hit. Ali has worked in a variety of roles during her N HS service from frontline Nurse to a National Director supporting NHS Trusts in special measures. Every role she has undertaken involves working closely with people. Problem solving, developing relationships, planning, coaching, mentoring, budget management, staying grounded and a good sense of humour have all been critical to success in her working life.

Ali supported the village fete and was a member of the village hall committee for a number of years including organising the Christmas party for several years. along with other social events. Work pressures made it difficult to comment in a meaningful way and so she stepped down.

As now recently retired (again) from the NHS and a Nana to 2 gorgeous girls also living locally, Ali is keen to get more involved in supporting village life and helping to ensure that Stratton is a great place to live.