“I sort of travelled out, got to Tollesbury, fell in love with it and have been here ever since.”
Michelle Curtis is the parish clerk of Tollesbury, a village of nearly 3,000 people in the Maldon District.
Michelle and vice-chair of the parish council Caroline Page were interviewed as part of feature spotlighting the charm, people, issues, and natural beauty of the historic village.
Michelle has been the parish clerk of Tollesbury for nearly 19 years after moving to the village from London about 23 years ago.
She said: “Being on the parish council was a good way to integrate into the community, because you are meeting so many different people different ages groups, just sort of more diverse people.”
Councillor Caroline Page previously lived in the next village down - Tolleshunt D'arcy - before moving to the village with her husband who is born and bred in Tollesbury.
She said: “I was a bit dubious about it, I have to say, but it was the best thing I have ever done.
“It is a fabulous place to live, water is my thing and we have a dog. It’s fantastic, we’re very lucky.”
Caroline said she was worried about living in a new community, wrongly thinking you would have to live there for years before anyone excepts you.
Having taken early retirement, Caroline has voluntary roles in two other organisations but dedicates most of her time to the council.
She said though she does not belong to any clubs or groups in the village, she does deeply care about the community.
The council itself is filled with people with different opinions, but Caroline says this is a positive and the councillors are focused on helping the village together.
As a parish council, the council does not run events but it does support other groups in the village.
This includes the Tailer (or Taylor) charity which has existed since 1652 with Michelle saying the charity’s income mainly comes from land they rent in the nearby Tolleshunt Knights.
Michelle said the charity supports the village larder when they are low on supplies or money.
People who use the charity are completely confidential and Caroline said like any other place in the country, there are extremes with incomes levels in the village.
Caroline further said there a lot of long-standing families and some people who come to the village to work and others who commute either by bus, train, or car to get work.
Regarding the appeal for newcomers, Caroline said the village does have easy access to the A12 and the train station, saying: “I'm not sure it's a key factor.
“A lot of people come here because they just love it when they arrive and they feel something about it.”
Caroline also says there are lots of people who are retired as they have lived there their whole lives.
When asked about the village’s housing developments, Michelle said the council has made no decision on the latest application for a potential new 200 houses.
Ultimately the final decision will sit with Maldon District Council
Caroline said “If there were an extra 200 homes, there would undoubtedly be a change.
“It speaks for itself, the volume of everything, hugely multiplied but our housing needs survey that was carried out in 2023 showed the need was 50 houses were needed at that point in time.
“There has already been some houses built and some being built currently.”
Michelle further said there was a neighbourhood plan working group – not directly part of the council - who are trying to form a community land trust.
This means a plot of land in the village, hopefully gifted, would be used so local homes could be built for local people.
Michelle said this type of scheme is happening in other parts of the country.
When asked about what there is to do in Tollesbury, Caroline said there is the council-owned pool which is closed by necessity in winter.
There is a growing culture of open-water swimming with braver swimmers, mainly women, using the river.
Caroline said there is a cadet group and said football groups are particularly popular right now.
Michelle said: “I think there’s something for everybody.
“You’ve got afternoon badminton clubs, you’ve got the Lighthouse for coffee and for people to meet up, you’ve got the village larder which has a café too, you’ve got yoga you can drop into for all different ages, you’ve got a youth club, scouts.
“There’s something sort of for everyone."
Caroline said she loves to walk, which is a major activity for residents especially with the seawall.
Caroline said: “Walking up the street - and unless you're completely antisocial if so that’s entirely up to you - it’s very hard to walk up the road without getting delayed.
“You have to give yourself time, because you will talk to people, and people look out for other people all the time. It is that knowing, if you step outside your door, and if you feel like it, there's always some out the road to say hello, even if it's just hello, it is that.”
Michelle, who has a busy part-time role managing the councillor’s hardware including cemeteries, allotments, and the pools, added: “I came from London, and now I cannot imagine going anywhere else.
“It's a good community, and everyone comes together.”
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