The Love Topsham Team
The core group are all Topsham residents with a strong background of community activity and a passion for the town, its fabric, its history and its future. Behind this team is a small army of volunteers working hard for Topsham.
Pete Greenslade
Pete has lived in Devon all his life and migrated to Topsham from Countess Wear just over 20 years ago, so is still a relative newcomer to the town! Having had two careers – one in Financial Services, the other in Tax Technology – Pete has now retired and can be found either on the golf course or walking in Topsham with his wife, Jane and their dog Chili. In his spare time he loves travelling around the UK and France in their campervan or occasionally taking solace in the local hostelries – purely in the interest of research, of course. Pete loves living in Topsham and helping the Love Topsham team as Joint Head of Volunteers with Jane, making the town a better place for everyone – with a particular area of expertise in the Christmas lights display across Topsham.
Jane Greenslade
Jane has always lived in and around Exeter, finally moving to Topsham in 1999 – and she can’t ever imagine leaving. Having now retired Jane previously worked as a medical underwriter at the infamous London & Manchester Assurance company in Clyst St Mary for over 30 years. Most days Jane can be found walking around Topsham, with her husband Pete and dog Chili. They all love travelling, particularly in their campervan, either in this country or in Europe. Jane loves volunteering to help improve the experience of Topsham for everyone. As Joint Head of Volunteers, Jane says she “generally makes a nuisance of herself albeit in a nice way”. Jane is a key figure in organising the Love Topsham annual Christmas Market.
Carolina Hobbs
Now retired and having recently moved from Dartmoor to Topsham, most of Carolina’s working life has been in finance. Alongside family and work commitments, involvement in the community has always taken an important role, such as helping to run scout groups and village events on Dartmoor, as well as becoming treasurer of several organisations.
Ned Hoste
We came back to Devon after 36 years away in 2019. A professional designer since I was 15 and founder and director of the award-winning branding, publishing and communications agency thebigideascollective.com. I am also a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. While continuing the day job, I also design the graphics and website for Love Topsham. Since coming back to the south west I have become a director of Love Topsham and been a trustee of the arts charity Daisi promoting the arts and creativity across Devon. Now living in White Street with artist Alison, you will often see me walking around the town do stop me and say hello.
Marcus Parry
Marcus and his wife Nell have been visiting Topsham for over thirty years and in 2020 they finally fulfilled their dream of moving to the town. Since then, Marcus has become involved with the annual Charter Day, Topsham Museum and is now a director of Love Topsham. Marcus’s first ‘proper’ job was as a BBC studio cameraman in Southampton, later moving to Television Centre where he ran a busy training department for ten years. After leaving the BBC he moved into education, first teaching at a Further Education college in Winchester, then joining Southampton School of Medicine as an educational project manager. He became Head of Medical Education in 2015, a post he held until he left four years later. Marcus now works as a freelance editor and proofreader and also teaches creative writing at Exeter University.
Jane Thompson
I work as an Executive Assistant and Administrator at a London University. Part of my role includes running events and it made sense, when my husband and I moved to Topsham in 2021, to volunteer with Love Topsham to hopefully put some of my knowledge and experience to use. By volunteering I have met some lovely people, learnt new things and importantly it has also been a way for me, alongside the Love Topsham Team, to support this wonderful and unique Town; it feels more important than ever to do this.
Other regular volunteers are: Rosalind Beetham (database management), Hilary Thomson (content), Marcus Parry (proofreading), Julie Rashbrooke and Rosalind Lesquesne (running Love Topsham stalls) and a whole army ably led by Ray Scotter and assisted by Paul Jakeman who are looking after Topsham’s 90 hanging baskets and watering them every single day in spring and summer!
The 2024 Join The Club project volunteers are Jane and Pete Greenslade, Lynne and Matin Congreve, and Graham Norwood.
The Love Topsham team have a great mix of local knowledge, retail experience, marketing drive and endless enthusiasm but we’re always keen to get others in the community involved in what we do. If you have something to contribute – from helping plan strategy to being on the town’s Christmas display team to distributing leaflets and posters – do please get in touch on lovetopsham@gmail.com