Trustees
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The Earl and Countess of Radnor
Presidents of The Royal Bath & West of England Society
William Radnor was brought up in Wiltshire, and after school worked as a Jackeroo in Australia. He studied at the RAU which led to a position in the Farming Department of Strutt & Parker. Several years later he embarked on an alternative career with Christie’s in London until he returned to run the family properties in Wiltshire, Hampshire, Folkestone, and London. The diverse rural estates include the largest trout farm in England. In Folkestone he is a trustee of Creative Folkestone which was set up 20 years ago to regenerate the town. He retains a strong interest in the Arts, and Longford, his family home, is open through the National Gallery on selected dates in spring, summer, and autumn. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all past Presidents, and his grandfather was Honorary Show Director 1931-33.
Melissa Radnor was brought up in various parts of the country and lived in Northamptonshire before marrying William. She worked in television for the children’s channel Nickelodeon as P.A. to the C.E.O occasionally appearing as a presenter! She has a strong interest in the equestrian world where three of her children compete. She is a keen gardener and The Patron of Horatio’s Garden which provides beautiful gardens for spinal units throughout Great Britain. Her father, James Stanford organised The Countryside March in 2002 when over 400,000 people marched for ‘Liberty and Livelihood’.
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Mrs Catherine Look
Chairman
Catherine joined the Board in 2018 after being involved with the Society for many years. Her original involvement was through the Young Farmers’ Clubs.
Catherine became Board Chairman in August 2022 and is looking forward to working with the wider stakeholder group as the Society moves forwards after the pandemic.
Catherine is the Managing Director of her family business, which manages and develops park home estates and holiday parks across Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Catherine was a “mature student” when she completed a degree in Business Management and she has a particular interest in customer service.
Her husband and one of their daughters are farmers on the Somerset Levels. Their older daughter is a trials agronomist.
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Dr Lance Moir
Honorary Treasurer
Lance Moir has nearly 40 years’ senior business experience in financial and strategy roles. He has been CFO of WIN plc and Executive Director of IMImobile, Group Finance Director for First Choice Holidays plc, Director of Corporate Finance for Bass plc and Head of Corporate Finance and Planning for Storehouse plc.
He is currently a non-executive director of Nightcap plc and Thatchers Cider Ltd and Chair of the Advisory Board of Craft Gin Club. He has a PhD from Cranfield School of Management where he is now a Visiting Professor and a First Class Honours Degree in Pure Mathematics from the University of Sheffield as well as being a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers, where he was a member of the council.
Lance lives in West Somerset and is a beekeeper and a member of Somerset Opera.
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Mr David Cotton
Trustee
David is a Somerset dairy farmer and a Fellow of the Institute of Agricultural Management and the Royal Agricultural Societies. He has experience as Deputy Chairman of the Rural Payments Agency and on the Dairy Council of the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board.
David is a member of Council and Chairman of The Dairy Show at the Royal Bath and West of England Society.
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Mr Michael Felton MFH
Trustee
After several placements in the agricultural supply trade, Mike returned to the family business near Salisbury, operating a drying storage and marketing service for local cereal growers of which he became Chairman.
In recent years, Mike has been involved with farming both livestock and cereal, as well as dealing with letting commercial property.
A keen competitor in horse trials and racing, Mike has been involved with equestrian activities throughout his life and is currently MFH for the Blackmore Sparkford Vale Hunt.
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Mr Anthony Gibson OBE
Trustee
Anthony is a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society and was awarded the OBE in 2003 for services to agriculture and rural economy of the South West.
He was with the NFU for over thirty five years and remains very active in farming and Somerset Levels flooding issues. He is an accomplished broadcaster and journalist and commentates on Somerset Cricket for the BBC.
He is a member of Council and Chairman of Orchards and Cider at the Royal Bath and West of England Society.
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Venetia Leng
Trustee
Venetia grew up in Oxfordshire and Somerset.
She is a partner of C Hoare and Co bankers, looking after private customers many of whom are involved in agriculture and other rural businesses. She read economics at Cambridge and worked elsewhere in the City before joining Hoares in 1991.
Venetia was a founder trustee of local Somerset charity Key4Life and is currently a trustee of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust.
Venetia lives on a small farm in Somerset with her husband Hamish Leng and two children.
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Sue Seager
Trustee
Sue spent her formative years in Dorset and went to school near Sherborne, returning to the West Country in 2013. Sue is currently the Estate Manager at The Newt in Somerset.
Sue is a keen light aircraft pilot, having piloted through parts of Southern Africa. Sue has also been involved in all things equestrian from a young age and is now a keen competitor at dressage.
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Mr Martin Thatcher DL
Trustee
Martin joined the Trustees Board of the Royal Bath and West of England Society in 2015 and is Chairman of the Bath & West Enterprises Board. Martin is the Managing Director of top local cider manufacturing company Thatcher’s Cider.
Thatcher’s have 360 acres of its own orchard in Somerset, as well as using apples from other growers in the area. Over 25,000 tonnes of fruit are pressed each year.
Thatcher’s also maintains a special exhibition orchard in which over 548 different varieties of apple tree are grown.
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Mr Patrick Thomson
Trustee
Patrick Thomson is Chief Executive Officer for EMEA, J.P. Morgan Asset Management. He is Chair of the Board of the Investment Association, representing UK’s investment management industry, and a Member of the UK Government’s Treasury Task Force.
After graduating from Edinburgh University, Patrick served as an officer in the British Army for five years before joining JP Morgan in 1995 and has worked in Paris, Singapore and New York.
He lives on a farm in Somerset and is married to Anna Redwood, an artist, with five children. He has worked as a shepherd and is a novice beekeeper and cider-maker.
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Mr Rupert Uloth
Trustee
Rupert grew up in Hampshire and the Sudan.
He joined Country Life magazine in 1994, after six years in the Household Cavalry, appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe as part of a comedy revue sometime in between.
Rupert currently lives in West Sussex with his wife, their children and a small menagerie, including a miniature poodle, Juno, several horses, 14 sheep, two saddleback pigs, two geese and five ducks.
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Sir David Wills Bt
Trustee
Elected on to the Trustee Board in 2015 Sir David’s family have been involved with the Royal Bath and West of England Society for many years. He is a landowner and farmer.
David’s professional interests include Blagford Properties. His community and charitable interests Farmlink Education Ltd, Langford Trust for Animal Health and Welfare and St Monica Trust. David also has an interest in Field Sports.
David is the Chairman of the Charity Committee at the Royal Bath and West Society.
