LAXFIELD
Site run by the parish council
Site run by the parish council
Site run by the parish council
Colin is a local lad, born in Badingham, but making his first independent home in Laxfield back in 1979. His work in the IT Industry took him away from Laxfield for several years, but with the improvements made to digital communication making home-based working much easier, he was able to return to his beloved Suffolk in 2006, where he and his wife Lynn undertook the renovation of their old farm house in Cratfield.
Since retiring from business life in 2013, Colin has occupied his time with his love of the countryside. As a volunteer for The Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project, he erected and maintained nest boxes as well as monitoring around 100 nesting sites annually, to identify broods to ring and provide data to the BTO. He has performed the role of part time gamekeeper, where he has striven to promote the benefits to wildlife and he continues to work on several local shoots with his two Spaniels throughout the season, whilst in the summer he can been found aboard a friend’s tractor helping gather in the local harvest.
Colin made what he hopes will be his final house move, back to Laxfield in 2022 and joined the Parish Council in 2025. In his role of Parish Councillor, he is committed to make himself available to all, to help newcomers to the village gain an understanding of the countryside, that all residents views are fairly represented and that our beautiful village maintains its historic identity.
Pen was brought up and lived for many years on the Surrey / Hampshire borders and moved to Laxfield in 2015. From the start, Laxfield felt like home and she became actively involved in village life.
Pen has worked in various different roles, from garden maintenance to private bookkeeping, whilst being a carer for various family members. She now works as a Postie with Royal Mail.
She has two daughters who are both married and live in North London and North Hampshire respectively. You may see them around the village as they both love Laxfield and visit as often as they can.
As well as being a parish councillor, Pen is on the Village Hall committee and is a returning cast member of the popular village pantomime!
Sarah is the fifth generation of her family to live in Laxfield. Having always lived in this lovely village it was an easy choice to settle here and raise her two girls in such a wonderful community.
Sarah worked for over 14 years for a company that manufactures fuel-saving aerodynamics for commercial vehicles, where she assisted with production schedules and UK/Europe transportation before becoming Sales Office Manager. During Covid she decided a career change worked better for her family, allowing more time with her children. Sarah now works at the village preschool as the baby room leader (having gained a level 3 diploma in early years education) where she enjoys working with and supporting local families.
Sarah joined the Parish Council in February 2024 and is looking forward to becoming involved with multiple groups and committees.
Ollie lives on the edge of the parish with his partner Lucy and their son Hunter, having moved from a cottage in Stradbroke to their Laxfield farmhouse in 2019.
Shortly afterwards they started a business installing wood burning stoves. They then relocated into a static caravan whilst renovating the house and awaited the arrival of baby Hunter. Easy!
Ollie has known the parish for around 15 years but is keen to get more involved in making a terrific place even better. He joined the Parish Council in May 2023, has already arranged the scrap metal collection, is an integral part of the Pavilion Development Team and is a PC Rep on the Village Hall Management Committee.
Debbie has lived in Laxfield since 1991 – arriving in February when snow was knee-high, the removal men had to stay the night and all water pipes in the house were frozen solid!
Having trained as a graphic designer specialising in Corporate Identity and Branding, Debbie now has a less formal existence on the outskirts of the village.
Debbie has been a Parish Councillor since May 2019 and is a member of various committees and working groups. She is also a founding member of Laxfield Community Land Trust, which strives to provide affordable rented housing in perpetuity, for people living in and associated with Laxfield.
Zoe lives in the heart of the village since moving in with her partner and his family in 2024, with their hope of buying their first home in the not too-distant future. Since moving to the village her love and appreciation for the countryside has grown, you can often see Zoe at her allotment on Station Road, as she is a keen gardener.
Zoe has previously worked in animal care and her love for horses has continued following her time working on a livery yard. Her current role as a Guest Relations Executive and multiple years in the customer service industry will help us connect with the local community.
Zoe joined the Parish Council in September 2025.
Hayley was brought up in Laxfield and has spent all of her life in the village or nearby, with strong family roots here. As a teenager she worked in the village shop and later on at The Low House, which gave her the chance to get to know many local people and become part of everyday village life. After marrying her husband Joe, the couple lived in Wissett before returning to Laxfield ahead of the arrival of their daughter Annabelle, who now attends the pre-school. Hayley has also recently joined the pre-school committee, further supporting local families and early years provision.
Hayley's career has spanned many areas of business, most recently as an HR Director, giving her a wealth of experience in guiding projects to completion. Hayley brings a pragmatic and organised approach to getting things done effectively. She is especially interested in health, wellbeing, and creating opportunities for families & all ages within the village, while making sure all residents feel their voices are heard.
At the heart of her role as a Parish Councillor are values of transparency and good communication. Hayley is passionate about ensuring the village can keep moving forward while maintaining its sense of community and heritage. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, yoga, trying to get fit, walking in the local countryside, and taking part in village life wherever she can.
Born and bred in Laxfield, Lisa attended Laxfield Primary School and later raised her two children in the village.
Lisa has always worked locally and over the years has forged many strong bonds within the community. She currently works as a private support worker, in the local hardware store and in The Royal Oak public house, and is also an active member of the monthly Community Market team. She spends any free time enjoying the outdoors with her grandchildren and dogs.
Lisa has been a Parish Councillor since 2019. She is a member of the Grounds Committee and the Finance Committee as well as acting as a Representative for Laxfield’s popular Museum.
Born in Fressingfield, lived there until 1997, moved to Wingfield and lived there until 2018 when we moved to Laxfield to do a barn conversion so after always living in a field I now live in a Barn!
Mainly worked in various aspects of the construction industry mostly in groundworks for the last 30 years.
Rae has been a Councillor since 2024, an acting representative for Laxfield's Museum & Village Hall and along with Ollie has organised the annual Scrap collection for the past 2 years.
Rob was born in Colchester and started his working life in the long hot summer of ’76. After a couple of job changes he finally found his career lay in the IT industry. He then spent the next twenty five years in various roles, ending up in as a technical support manager. It was in his early fifties that Rob took stock and changed his career completely. He became a civil servant and had many challenging roles in different government departments, before finally deciding to retire completely in 2021.
After the lockdowns Rob became involved with Laxfield Market. Since March 2022 he has been co-ordinating the bookings for the markets and can be seen most market days wandering around talking to the stall holders, as well as helping to set up and take down the market gazebos.
Rob became a Parish Councillor in October 2022 after attending a few meetings to see how it all works. He was elected Chair in 2025 and is a member of the Finance and Planning Committees.
Sally and her husband Rob bought their cottage in Laxfield in 2018 and after much renovation finally moved in two years later.
Having worked with severe special needs children aged from two years up to young adults, specialising in Autism for over 20 years, Sally retired in 2020 when she moved to the village.
Sally joined Laxfield Parish Council in October 2022 and is a member of the Laxfield Community Market Group. She can be found on the Bacon Bap Stall during most markets donning her ‘The Bap Girls’ apron alongside her partner in baps who wears the other one!
Peter moved to Laxfield in April 2024, having lived in Yorkshire for much of his life. He has worked in local government over the past 24 years after changing from a previous career in aerospace manufacturing. He has a business studies degree in Public Sector Management and an Advanced Certificate in Computer Studies.
Peter’s main passion is hiking, after growing up at the side of the Peak District and he's completed trails all over the world. He and his wife hold dual citizenship, having emigrated to New Zealand in 2011. They moved to Laxfield after looking all over the UK for a place to eventually retire and become part of a rural community.
Peter was appointed Laxfield Parish Clerk in April 2025 and is involved with all committees and working groups. He focusses on financial controls and ensures that all actions identified in meetings and the Parish Infrastructure Investment Plan are delivered.
Laxfield Parish Councillors Latest Parish Council Briefings Agendas – Parish Council Meetings Minutes – Parish Council Meetings Finance Policies & Procedures Planning - Agendas, Minutes, Miscellaneous Parish Infrastructure Investment Plan (PIIP) Annual Parish Meetings – Overviews, Annual Reports, other Documents Cemetery
