Baroness Tessa Blackstone

Tessa Blackstone became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich in September 2004. She started her career teaching at the London School of Economics, later becoming a Professor at the Institute of Education, University of London, and then Master of Birbeck College, University of London. During the Wilson and Callaghan Administrations she was a member of the Central Policy Review Staff in the Cabinet Office. She has held research fellowships at the Centre for Studies in Public Policy and the Policy Studies Institute and visiting fellowships at Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Melbourne.

She has also been Deputy Education Officer of the ILEA. In 1987, Tessa was awarded a life peerage and subsequently served as Minister of State for Education & Employment and Minister for the Arts. She is a member of the Privy Council. She has chaired the Fabian Society, the Institute for Public Policy Research, the General Advisory Council of the BBC, the ballet board of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Institute of British Architects Trust.

Mr Rupert Bristow

Rupert was Director of Education for Canterbury Diocese and a governor of the University from 1995 until his retirement in 2008 and is active as a Reader in Trinity Benefice, Folkestone. He graduated from London University as an external student at Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, has taught on VSO (Rwanda), was the second Director of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), and then Dean of Student Services at London South Bank University. He has also been a special adviser to a House of Commons select committee, edited and written for various educational publications and chaired Kent SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education).

.He holds a Masters in Public Service Administration and a Diploma in Counselling and is the author of "Prayers for Education" (2008). Married to Sarah with two grown-up sons, Michael and Richard, Rupert is a cricketing enthusiast and runs a church cricket team.

Ms Melanie Clewlow

Mel was born in Dover into a sporting family. Her family played semi-professional for Dover and Margate whilst her brother played England Schoolboy football. Mel attended Sir Roger Manwoods School in Sandwich where her hockey talents were first noticed by the then head of boys PE Mr Peter Firminger. It was not until Mel was 14 that she committed fully to following her dream of competing at the Olym[ic Games. She joined Canterbury hockey club in 1994 and with their help, developed into an international hockey player. She has represented England at U16, U18 & U21 levels before making her senior debut in 1996 against Ireland. Since then she has been an ever present member of the England & Great Britain teams, playing in three Commonwealth Games, three World Cups, four European Cups and two Olympic Games (Sydney and Beijing), winning two silver medals and four bronze.

Away from the hockey field, Mel qualified as an Accounts Technician and worked for Reeves & Neylan for 10 years before moving to Active Signs Limited in 2005.

Mrs Amanda Cottrell

Amanda Cottrell was born in Windsor in 1941 and educated in England, Switzerland and ultimately at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts in Massachusetts. Married in 1967 to Michael Cottrell they moved to live in Kent. With four children she ran a small holding in Challock for many years, including pigs, sheep, two house cows, turkeys and 700 free-range chickens. Cheese making became a way of life.

The death of her husband in 1996 led to a profound change and she embarked on an energetic career as a volunteer. A magistrate for 23 years, Chairman of her local Parish Council, school governor, County President of the Girl Guide movement and President of the NSPCC. Amanda was High Sheriff of Kent 2006-2007 and is now Chairman of Visit Kent. She is also a Kent Ambassador, a Trustee and Friend of Canterbury Cathedral, Trustee of the Kent Community Housing Trust, and the Kent Wildlife Trust, a Vice President of the Canterbury Festival and Patron of Produced in Kent.

Dr David Flood

Having begun musical studies at an early age, David held his first parish church organist post at 15 and became Organ Exhibitioner of St John’s College, Oxford and spent a further postgraduate year in at Clare College, Cambridge. In 1978 he was appointed Assistant Organist at Canterbury Cathedral and in 1988 was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers.

He was involved in many national and international occasions, such the enthronement of Archbishop Runcie and the visit of Pope John Paul II, and has been responsible for the music at all the special occasions, in particular the enthronement of Archbishop Carey, the enthronement of Archbishop Williams in February 2003 and the 1998 and 2008 Lambeth Conferences. He has given many organ recitals internationally and has studied with Gillian Weir and Jean Langlais. Under his direction the Cathedral choir has toured in Europe and North America. In July 2002 he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Music by the University of Kent.

Mr Jools Holland OBE DL

Jools Holland was born in SE London in 1958. At the age of eight, he could play the piano fluently by ear and when aged 15 formed the band ‘Squeeze’, with hits ‘Up The Junction’ and ‘Cool For Cats’. In 1987 he formed The Jools Holland Big Band, which metamorphosed into the current 20-piece Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Jools has maintained a prolific recording career, which includes the multimillion selling ‘Jools and Friends’ series.

TV work included becoming co-presenter of ‘The Tube’ in 1980. He presented two series of ‘Juke Box Jury’ in 1989 and then 26 shows of ‘The Happening’ in 1990. In 1992 he hosted ‘Later…with Jools Holland’ for BBC2, and the 33rd series is due later this year. ‘Jools' New Years Eve show’ is in its 16th year.

Jools' was awarded the OBE in 2003 and was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Kent in 2005. He plays at many charity functions. His autobiography, ‘Barefaced Lies and Boogie-Woogie Boasts’, was published in 2007. His new album ‘The Informer’ is released in November 2008.

The Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe

The Rt. Hon. Ann Widdecombe is MP for Maidstone and the Weald. Born in 1947, Ann gained honours degrees in Latin and in Politics and Economics and has an MA from Oxford University. Ann was elected an MP 1987. From 1990 she was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Social Security and then Employment, then Minister of State at the Department of Employment, and in 1995 she was appointed Minister of State at the Home Office. In 1997 she was appointed to the Standards and Privileges House of Commons Select Committee. She was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Health in 1998 and in 1999 was appointed Shadow Home Secretary.

In 2001 she announced her decision to retire from the Shadow Cabinet citing the wish to be able to speak on issues which she felt strongly about without the constraints of office.

Ann has published her four novels, and is currently writing a prequel to ‘An Act of Treachery’. She has appeared in various television and radio programmes including ‘Ann Widdecombe to the Rescue’, ‘Call My Bluff’, and ‘Grumpy Old Women’.

Mr Derek Underwood MBE

Derek Underwood was a Professional cricketer with Kent from 1962 to 1987, with 520 appearances in first class matches for Kent and 4th highest in the Club’s history. Derek took 2,465 first class wickets with best performance being 9 for 28 against Sussex in 1964. In 1984 he scored his one and only century for Kent at Hastings against Sussex. During his international career, played in 86 Test matches for England taking 297 test wickets and is best remembered for his performance against Australia in 1968 taking 7 for 50.

He was awarded the MBE in 1980 for services to cricket. Derek is a Patron of The Primary Club, Chairman of The Stars Foundation for Cerebal Palsy, member of General and Cricket Committees at Kent C C C. He was President of Kent County Cricket Club 2006 and President of M.C.C. 2008/09. Currently Derek is Sales Director with a company specialising in the manufacture and installation of non-turf cricket pitches. His interests include golf, philately and music.

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