Blofield Parish Council

I am Joseph Scholes and I have been a parish councillor for six years. Over those six years much has changed to the parish. It was these changes that prompted me to join the parish council after much encouragement from a fellow councillor.

I have been fortunate to meet and know many of the wonderful people who help do their part in making the Parish of Blofield a very special place to live.  This is why I continue to serve the parish  in helping to maintain and enhance our wonderful parish so it remains a place that we can all enjoy.

My time as a parish councillor has been insightful and extremely interesting . It is very important that since the parish has grown significantly larger that we come together to help build a stronger community.

Growing up in Thorpe St Andrew, I moved away from Norfolk for work but returned with my family in 2002 and moved to Blofield Heath in 2012.  Having taken part in the Blofield Neighbourhood Plan and the Greater Norwich consultations and enjoyed the experience, I was involved as a resident in a couple of planning applications and worked with both Parish and District Councillors.  I responded to a request for volunteers from the Heath side of the Parish and was co-opted onto the Parish Council. I hope I can reduce the divide that the physical barrier the A47 imposes within the parish.

I moved to Blofield back in 2011 but always considered that move as coming back home, as my wife grew up in Blofield and we have family in the village. I joined the Parish Council in 2015 after being involved with the Blofield Parish Neighbourhood Plan. I look after the Facebook site along with another councillor and update parts of this website. Apologies in advance for any spelling errors you see ! I regularly attend the planning group meetings where we discuss the planning applications that have been submitted, using the Neighbourhood Plan policies as guidance, which gives a really good framework for making material comments to Broadland District Council. Outside of the Parish Council, I'm a Parent Governor at Blofield Primary school and somehow manage to fit in work at Aviva.

I moved to Norwich from Shropshire in 1984 to begin my nurse training at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where I continued to work as a Registered Nurse for the next 17 years. During that time I met my husband and we now have two grown up children who are  both at university.  I have always been involved from chairing the Parents Teacher Association at East Ruston School, to being Vice Chair of The Parent Staff Association at Wymondham College and being  “Fluffy” Owl at Salhouse Brownies.

Before moving to Blofield we lived in Wroxham. Here we bought two derelict cottages that we converted into our family home. Once that was complete I became a Parish Councillor where I organised the redevelopment of the Children’s Playground in Park Road and represented the council at the Neighbourhood Plan meetings. I enjoyed getting to know the Village and becoming part of the community.

We moved to Blofield in 2010, and have spent the last few years completely renovating the house and garden, which is still an on going project of maintenance and always will be, but now the children have gone I would like to volunteer to help in the area we now call home. I am a keen gardener, enjoy upholstery and belong to a reading group.

My mother, brother and I moved to Blofield in 1972 when it was a true village! I worked as a photographer in the School of Fine arts and Music at the University of East Anglia, but then changed career, and qualified as an Occupational Therapist at the Royal London Hospital. I was persuaded to join the parish council, having developed a keen interest in all aspects of planning, and represented the residents viewpoint at a number of Broadland District Council planning application hearings successfully. I still care passionately about trying to preserve 'village life', but am saddened by the reduced influence local communities have, and that developers appear to have 'the upper hand' - we need to consider the potential plight of future generations ever being able to afford their own homes, and the lack of truly affordable and social housing to meet the needs of the young, the elderly and disabled.

I was born in Norwich and in 1986 moved to Blofield with my wife, now having been resident for over 33 years and having seen a great many changes to the villages over this time, primarily increased expansion. My son was born here and went to Blofield School, now having relocated to the Midlands after University.

I retired 3 years ago from my job as a Retail IT Consultant and was encouraged to join the Council in 2017 as I was looking for something to fill my time and enable me to make a contribution to the community (which it certainly does!), being very keen and passionate to maintain and develop a Community spirit here in Blofield and Blofield Heath.

I am currently Chairman of the Parish Council.

I was born in Norwich and lived in the City and its suburbs until moving to Blofield. 

I have been a resident here for nearly 30 years. My children all went to Blofield CP School and attended Playgroup, Brownies, Beavers, Football and Dancing groups and my grandchildren currently attend Blofield CP School.  I value living in Blofield, I enjoy the rural feel of the village and the proximity to the City and am keen to keep the village a pleasant place to live.

I am a recently retired Local Government Officer, with Environmental Health experience and a scientific background.

I am the Parish Council representative on the Healthland’s Management Committee, Reve Educational and Blofield Relief-In-Need Charities and was one of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group.

I am also a Blofield Library Friend, Friend of Cremer’s Meadow and a volunteer with Norfolk Wildlife Trust at Ranworth.