Meet the Trustees and the Team
Chief Constable Rod Hansen QPM
Trustee
Rod Hansen joined Gloucestershire Constabulary as Deputy Chief Constable in May 2013 and in May 2017 took over as Chief Constable.
Rod started his career at Avon & Somerset Constabulary more than 30 years ago and during that time has covered a variety of roles from patrol inspector in central Bristol to District Commander for Bath and North East Somerset. Other postings also led to him working on the force surveillance team and reviewing child protection arrangements.
Rod has been a hostage negotiator since 1998 and for a number of years was the South West Regional Co-ordinator for negotiating. He was course director for the regional negotiators course and in October 2003 trained negotiators within the Greek police service in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Rod has also been the Chief Police Advisor to the military Joint Task Force Headquarters (JTFHQ) and part of a multi-agency team of non-military advisors working closely alongside colleagues from the Stabilisation Unit, Department for International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a variety of volunteer and charitable groups such as the International Red Cross.
His deployments to date include; Somalia, and the Masai Mara, Kenya. Rod also assisted in the fast time provision of a UK police capability to assist the British military in extracting British nationals from Libya during the recent fall of the regime.
Rod is also the current National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for aviation and mounted policing.
Chief Fire Officer Neil Odin
Trustee
Neil’s fire service career began in 1991 and he has since served in three services, becoming Assistant Chief Officer (Community Safety) at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2012.
In 2014, as Deputy Chief and Director of Service Delivery, Neil looked after community safety, response and resilience, and was responsible for frontline response, prevention, safe & well visits and community self-help plans. Neil became Chief Fire Officer of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service in January 2018. He has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Southampton.
Alongside his role as CFO, Neil is also the UK National Fire Chief’s Council Chairman for the Prevention Committee, supporting fire services across the nation to prevent fires and other emergencies. He is Chairman of the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation (UKRO) which brings together the UK’s rescue services to develop their skills and improve rescue standards and is also a trustee of the Blue Lamp Trust which was established to promote and enhance community safety across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and a Graduate member of the Institution of Fire Engineers.
Most recently, Neil has chaired the Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG) in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ensuring the effective multi-agency response to COVID-19.
HMPPS Nigel Batchelor
Head of Function – Head of Dog & Technical Support Group
Trustee
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Nigel Batchelor. I have two children and live with my partner and four French bulldogs in Nottinghamshire. Having four dogs definitely keeps me out of trouble!
I am currently serving in HM Prison and Probation Service and have been since joining the service in 1994. I have worked mainly in the West Midlands area starting at HMYOI Brinsford in Wolverhampton as a young prison officer, before moving to Learning & Development as a trainer for new entrant prison officers. In 2009, I moved to the National Tactical Response Group as a team leader attending incidents within prisons all over the country.
In 2019 I was privileged to be offered and accepted, the position of Head of Function for the National Dog and Technical Support Group based near Oxford. This was an exciting time for me as it was like starting a new career path and having to start all over again. To say that every day is a school day is an understatement!
The Prison Service have approximate eight hundred dogs of varying specialisms, this means that we retire approximately eighty dogs per year. I was therefore delighted to hear about, and now be involved in the NFRSA as a Trustee. I would like to think I will now play a vital role in supporting service animals after their dedicated service and into retirement. This is something that I am passionate about and recognise the work that needs to be done to help our service animals.
The Rt. Hon. The Countess Bathurst
Trustee, Management ComMittee and Grant Applications Panel
Born in Marlborough, Wiltshire in 1965, Lady Bathurst spent her childhood with her elder brother growing up in Lyme Regis, Dorset.
She met her husband in 1993. They married in 1996 when she moved to the Cotswolds. Since then, her time has been spent running the house at Cirencester Park, supporting her husband, and involving herself deeply in the Gloucestershire community and beyond.
In addition to her role as Chair of the NFRSA, she is also President and Patron to many local and national charities and associations, including National Vice President to the Royal British Legion Women’s Section.
Lady Bathurst served as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire 2016/17 and was particularly engaged with the Gloucestershire Constabulary especially, the Dog Section. She still remains an Ambassador to the PCC of Gloucestershire.
It was during this time she came up with the idea of the NFRSA and after sharing it with many individuals and experiencing a few unforeseen delays, her dream finally became a reality in 2022, when the NFRSA was officially born.
It is here her passion now lies.
Jane Muller
Trustee, Management Committee and Grant Applications Panel
With over twenty years working at board level for several IT consultancies in London, Jane now runs a leadership coaching and HR consultancy. Her passion is improving business performance through people and culture change programmes.
Jane moved to Gloucestershire twelve years ago with her husband and two very furry and mad Labradoodles! She loves walking the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, regularly snubbing the sun and sand for two weeks of stay-cationing!
The NFRSA’s purpose is very close to her heart; she has always had a special relationship with animals, especially dogs. The fact that her mother (then aged 7) was regularly ‘guarded’ by the family’s German Shepherd when her parents were at work in the evening is not lost on her either!
Jill Bradley
Trustee and Management ComMittee
Jill started her career in advertising and worked for 10 years in companies Delaney, Fletcher Bozell and Leo Burnett on accounts including Chrysler Jeep, McDonalds and Proctor & Gamble.
Folllowing this, she worked at an events company for a year before starting her own company Benchmark Events which ran for 10 years. Jill specialised in bespoke, corporate events holding parties in venues such as Bloomsbury Ballroom, Bishops Palace and 9 Grosvenor Place for clients including Douglas & Gordon, Mirabaud Securities and Framestore.
Jill is married, has two children Jago & Tabitha, and they moved to Gloucestershire from London in 2021. She loves yoga and riding in her spare time and is very excited to be working on the setting up and future of the NFRSA.
Richard Hunt
Management ComMittee and Grant Applications Panel
Richard is a police officer with 26 years’ experience with Gloucestershire Constabulary.
Richard has worked three general purpose dogs, two of which have been specially trained to be firearms support dogs working alongside armed officers in high threat related incidents involving weapons. In addition Richard has also worked two proactive drugs, cash and firearms search dogs.
Richard is currently working two dogs, Jango and Bonnie as well as being the lead instructor for the Constabulary.
Richard is passionate about the NFRSA as he has looked after 3 police dogs within his family home, where his three children have all grown up around them, and so he knows that when they retire from their working lives, how much the support of the charity is appreciated by all the owners of retired service animals across the country.
Tracey Wysocka
Management Committee and event coordinator
Tracey began her working life serving in the Royal Air Force as an Assistant Air Traffic Controller. After leaving the RAF, she joined Nationwide Building Society as a mortgage advisor but was quickly promoted into various management positions including Head of Direct Sales, Operations Manager and Employee Engagement Manager.
Tracey has always had a great love for dogs and following the sad parting of one of her beloved pets, she decided to leave the corporate life and follow her heart by starting up her own company and gaining qualifications in the field of canine behaviour and training.
Tracey is married with one son and a black Labrador, Dutch, who has become her new ‘picking up’ dog, after the sad loss of her beloved Lucia.
She is passionate about the NFRSA and loves being a part of something that has a uniqueness, as well as a charity that is really making a difference.
Qing Lin
Management Committee and Corporate Relations
Born and raised in China, Qing (pronounced Ching) settled in Gloucestershire over 20 years ago, after living and working in Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
More than a decade has passed since Qing set up a well-known consultancy firm specialising in cross-border trade and sourcing products.
It is the leading organisation, if not the very first in the southwest, to specialise in enabling and assisting the growth needs of companies in international trade – particularly in connecting UK firms with Chinese and other foreign firms.
Qing’s passion for helping others is clearly evident in her dedication to promoting cultural and business links between different countries.
In addition, she and her husband Adam have been “puppy walker” volunteers for UK Guide Dogs for over 10 years and are now the proud owners of a Skye Terrier, an endangered breed – their beloved “Minnie.”
Sam Tiley
Management Committee , PR & Marketing
Sam works as an IT manager, but you’ll usually find her loving life in the Gloucestershire countryside, where she will be with her with two horses, five sheep, & Basset hound called Cilla.
She is thrilled to join the NFRSA team and is looking forward to doing all she can support our amazing retired service animals
Laura Colquhoun
Management Committee
Laura Colquhoun is a Psychotherapist and Counsellor for individuals and couples and has worked with practices in Harley Street London and the Cotswolds.
Laura loves Golden Retrievers, currently she has three and has successfully bred a litter which she still says is ‘one of the best experiences of my life’.
In fact, Laura loves all animals but has a particular fondness for dogs and cats. As well as the three Retrievers she has a one-eyed Jack Russell Shitzu cross and two moggies, they all get on like one big fluffy family.
Laura is thrilled to be part of the NFRSA and to support our service animals, has loved already meeting some of the amazing police dogs in training and their handlers, and is excited to work with the management committee.
Hannah Hockley
Management Committee
Hannah has an extensive background in the education sector and a successful career running her own apprenticeship management company, nurturing talent and leadership locally and across the UK. She is joint Vice President of the Cirencester Chamber of Commerce, organising the Cirencester Business Awards.
Hannah is deeply embedded in the local community, cherishing everything it has to offer. She is a big rugby fan and a dedicated supporter of Gloucester as well as the Welsh national team.
Sharing her home with Wilbur, her beloved Working Cocker Spaniel x Westie, who is the light of her life, her lifelong advocate for animal welfare has been Hannah’s passion. It has been a driving force, and her devotion to the well-being of animals extends into her proud involvement with the NFRSA, where she is dedicated to its work.
Hannah brings to the NFRSA a blend of leadership, compassion, and a deep-seated belief in the importance of giving back to those who have served us, be it through service or companionship. She is committed to advancing the foundation’s mission, making a lasting impact on the lives of retired service animals and their handlers across the nation.
Rod Benson
Grant Applications Panel
Rod Benson is a Veterinary Surgeon with 36 years of clinical experience. He has worked for the last 35 years in a 6 Vet mixed practice, dealing with both farm and companion animals though working primarily with the latter. He holds the CertVR. – a post- graduate qualification in diagnostic imaging covering X Rays and Ultrasound.
A keen footballer until his mid-forties, he has completed two rural marathons. Rod is married with two grown children, a cat and a dog!
Robert Darvill
Grant Applications Panel
Rob always knew he wanted to be a vet. He qualified from Cambridge University in 2008 and spent a year in mixed practice in Bedford before moving to the Cotswolds and joining Benson and Babb in 2009.
Rob is equally happy examining, diagnosing and preventing disease for pets or on farms, and especially likes delivering all forms of new life and surgical procedures.
Rob really enjoys the relationships he has formed with farmers and pet owners and a joint approach on trying to achieve the best outcomes for the animals in his care.
Rob has a much loved Cocker Spaniel called Ajax, a female cat called Keith and a collection of smaller pets cared for by his children. He is a member of Cirencester baptist church and likes to run, and play squash and tennis in his free time.
Nicola Masters BA (Hons) FCA
Honorary Treasurer
Nicola is a Chartered Accountant, with over 20 years’ experience and works at Wilson Wright, an accounting, tax and business advisory firm based in the City of London. She works for a variety of organisations, including charities.
Nicola has recently moved back to Wiltshire after 20 years in London, and has been making the most of this by doing plenty of lake swimming and enjoying long walks in the Cotswolds and surrounding areas.
Being a huge lover of animals and charitable causes, Nicola has always wanted to find a role that would encompass both, so feels very grateful to have found this at the NFRSA, and is delighted to be a part of the charity.
CONTACT US
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