TDT trustees are members of Thornhill Development Trust who are elected to the TDT Board to manage and administer the Trust according to its constitution and ensure that the Trust meets its obligations. The trustee role is voluntary.
The current trustees are listed below along with a brief biography (Updated July 2026).
Elaine Blanchard
Elaine grew up in the village, then moved to London after university to work in media. After eight years, she met her now-husband James and his job took them to Singapore in 2003. Elaine moved from sub-editing into feature writing for magazines, then as health correspondent for the only English-speaking broadsheet ‘The Straits Times’, ending working life in Singapore as a freelancer and being on the committee of the St Andrew’s Society. Even though she would come back every year Elaine moved back to the village in December 2018 with James following a few months later.
Early retirement gave her the opportunity to get involved in village life, so she is Treasurer of the Thornhill and Blair Drummond Community Council, Secretary of the North Common Trust, on the editorial team of Thornhill Views, on the Paths Group and, as of July 2022, a TDT trustee.
Elaine spends the rest of her time running an Airbnb, powerlifting, trying and failing to grow tomatoes, trying and failing to play golf and obsessively listening to audiobooks.
Carol Hodgson
I moved to the village with my now-husband, Keith, in 2016, when his job brought us to Scotland. He is now retired but I work from home, part-time, as a Programme Manager in Healthcare IT.
Having grown up in the Lake District, I was delighted to find a home so close to the mountains and lochs, with endless opportunities on our doorstep to walk, cycle and explore the beautiful countryside.
Since moving here,we have loved getting to know people and becoming involved in some of the many groups and activities that make the village such a welcoming and vibrant place to live.
Being a trustee of Thornhill Development Trust, I have the opportunity to give something back, support our local community, and help the village continue to thrive for everyone who lives here.
Fiona Morison
Fiona has lived in Thornhill since 2017, the longest she has lived anywhere, having had an upbringing which involved moving every couple of years which continued into adult life with her career in international development. Now working in HR for a charity working to prevent people becoming homeless she has worked in operations, communications, events for organisations to include The Belize Red Cross and MSF.
Fiona has a young family with two children who are at the primary school and playgroup and also enjoy the toddler group. The family enjoy the walking, cycling, canoeing which the area offers. Often known as ‘the bee lady’ Fiona and her husband Ben have bees which forage in the village gardens and surrounds with their Mad Hare Apiary honey much in demand. She has been a trustee since August 2024
Joyce Firth (Chair)
Joyce has lived in Thornhill since 1983 and has seen it through its changes. Always happy to chip in to community activities she became more involved in the work of the Thornhill Development Trust after retiring from the NHS in 2014. Steering Thornhill’s Local Place Plan to registration in July 2024 was very satisfying after a period of intense community effort to make it happen.
Retirement also brought a chance to join a craft group to learn new skills making patchwork quilts. Keeping in touch with friends and family is a daily pleasure and regular visits to France and Sweden with husband David, are keenly anticipated.
Joyce says, “I believe in the collective power of people to get things done, appreciating different points of view and working together for the common good. Say ‘Hello’ if you see me out and about!”
Thais Martins
Thornhill has a very special place in my heart, as I lived here for nine years and it is where my children were born, grew up, and went to school. After 18 years away, I returned to the village in 2021 and have been delighted to reconnect with this community that means so much to me.
I am an ecologist by training, with a PhD in Zoology from the University of Oxford, and my career has taken me through research, lecturing, and now consultancy and running a small business. Alongside this, I have always been committed to community work and volunteering — from supporting Cancer Research UK shops and our local food bank to serving as a trustee for a hedgehog rehabilitation charity and for the Wave Academy in Cornwall and Devon.
I believe strongly that many of our future challenges will be solved at the community level, and I would be honoured to bring my experience, skills, and enthusiasm to the Thornhill Development Trust as a trustee.