Salway Ash is a small village to the north of Bridport and is set in the stunning West Dorset landscape. Driving to work has very different hazards from normal commuting - you have to time it to avoid the cows crossing the lane to be milked, territorial buzzards and the postman! (This is because the lane is only 6 ft wide and does not have passing places - so, whose turn is it to reverse ¼ mile today??)

Carol Pavely is currently overseeing operations in the busy Dorset Call Centre, she is responsible for taking calls, liaising with the nationwide volunteers, booking appointments and co-ordinating the many tasks that keep the office side running smoothly. 

Carol joined T.O.P. in March 2005 as she wanted part time employment to balance her family life. She has had a varied career, starting in a drawing office with the post office (now BT so that shows her age!), which she later managed. A move to Dorset meant a change of direction where she spent 10 years tendering and managing the County Council cleaning contracts. After many happy years inspecting toilets Carol decided it was time to move on, she is happy to have found a job with only one toilet, a very friendly team and clients who are always thankful for the help they receive

Julie Hitt (Nee - Ackerman) is the counterweight in the age stakes and has reduced our average age considerably! Julie is a Bridport girl born and bred so is finding the daily trip three miles to Salway Ash is broadening her horizons.

Julie used to work for the famous Denhay cheesemakers and is a keen rider. So should we ever be snowed in there is hope she will ride to our rescue clutching gourmet cheese sandwiches (and brandy! -Paddy) 

Julia Evans is another Bridport girl, born in West Bay, who moved away from the area for 37 years before returning in 2006. After working for the NSPCC for 13 years, she has shifted a generation or two, from helping children to helping older people. Julia used to commute from High Wycombe to London every day (1hour and 40 minutes each way), so the drive through the country lanes to Salway Ash has come as a relief and a pleasure.

Her hobbies include gardening, with a sizable vegetable plot where the weeds fight the veggies for space and regulary win. Evenings are often spent in the garden watching the sun going down overs Colmers Hill, with a glass or two of local cider.

Donna McKenney is yet another Briport girl, born and bred who never intends to move away, being younger than the rest of us she has also re-balanced the office average age, we are now all under 40. Before joining TOP she has worked in many fields (now in a barn!) including a wine shop,a cleaning company as a secretary and a supermarket. Donna has a busy family life and time for hobbies is something she dreams about.

Brian Docherty joined us in August 2008; He lives in Bridport and loves the idea of commuting through the lovely Dorset countryside to work in our barn.

 In his spare time he enjoys reading, walking the coast and countryside and hunting down a bargain at Antique Fairs and Car Boot Sales, he has even been caught wearing a dress, (only for the sake of his art as a Dame in Panto) he once even played Lady Macbeth in a version of the “Scottish play, mind you all the rest of the cast were women playing the other roles, the men’s as well.  With the scenery falling down, cast missing their entrances and props misplaced it was of course a comedy!

So he should have no trouble fitting in here with us women although he does have Paddy for moral support and male solidarity.

Return to top of page