Alan Townsend MBE - Chairman
Alan took up residence in Hever with his wife, Pat, in 1987 and lives at Lodgewood Cottages near the Hever Hotel and Golf Club.
He joined the HRA committee in 2004 and is a committee member of a number of local organisations including the Hever Rose & Horticultural Society, Hever Port Society and Sevenoaks District Sports Council.
Educated in Surrey and Kent, Alan spent the first ten years of his working life in the printing industry and then served as a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Service for thirty years, ending his career with the Flying Squad at New Scotland Yard in May 2006.
Alan now runs his own consultancy business, linked into his previous police career and his pastimes include travel, rugby (now a spectator), reading, land management and tasting port.
To email Alan, .
Jan Ryan - Secretary/Treasurer
I'm Jan Ryan, Secretary to HRA.
I took the minutes of the very first, inaugural Meeting (largely I suspect because I foolishly admitted that I could write !) way back in January 1990. As nobody dared to tell me to go away, I have taken the minutes of every Committee Meeting and Annual General Meeting ever since.
One of my proudest moments was seeing the Association's name in print, as an advisor to a House of Lords Select Committee which was directly instrumental in getting a law changed. Never again will Villages such as ours be plagued with a rash of Distinctly non-agricultural new built 'barns' which do not need planning consent. I wonder what their Lordships thought H.R.A. really meant!
To email Jan, .
Adrian Maurice
Adrian and his wife Zoya (yes she is foreign - Russian) moved into Hever in the Summer of 1997 and since then have added a daughter Katya and son Alec to the family. Greeted on their first day by past Chairman Christopher Dane, Adrian and family have remained connected to the HRA ever since.
Educated at Tonbridge and later at Durham University, Adrian grew up in Rotherfield and after Uni spent the next 19 years in London. Marriage and impending insanity led to a break for the country from where Adrian commutes to London where he runs a business that designs and implements solutions that help organisations move from paper based, to electronic business systems.
To email Adrian, .
Gerry Ryan
Easily the oldest Member, Gerry actually hails from Halifax,Yorkshire' but educated at Liverpool University (yes, it's true he had 'digs' in Penny Lane, and his Landlady's evening paper was delivered by Paul McCartney!).
Now living above his station (in this case Hever Station), he has spent his working life in IT, from it's birth in the late 1950's. He was IBM (UK)'s 100th employee, and continued with Philips, Polygram, and his own Company, GRIT until about two years ago when he 'retired'. He now finds he has much less leisure, as his time is occupied by being:-
- District Councillor at Sevenoaks District Council for Hever and Cowden.
- Trustee at Edenbridge Citizens Advice Bureau.
- Secretary, Set Builder and (as infrequently as he can manage) Actor with Penshurst Amateur Dramatic Society.
- Chairman of the Trustees of Hever Village Hall, and Honorary grass cutter, (he can be seen driving illegally along Hever Road on his trusty Countax lawn tractor). And yes, it was Gerry who chose the delicate shade of red for the Hall roof!
- Licensing Officer and Management Committee Member at Penshurst Village Hall, (he is also about to become a Personal Licence Holder - that is unless he fails the CRB check!)
He was dragged onto the Hever Residents Committee by Jan, his wife, many years ago...
To email Gerry, .
Katherine Storey
Katherine moved to Hever approximately 12 years ago and lives in Pigdown Lane, which in itself is a fun and friendly "community within a community" and known for its occasional "house to house" New Years Eve and Summer street parties!
Katherine has lived in the Sevenoaks area all her life, having been educated at Walthamstow Hall School in Sevenoaks, and after a short spell working and living in London, decided she was better suited to country life and returned to Sevenoaks. She has been involved in the "property" business for her entire career, firstly in the auction department at Allsop and Co, followed by 12 years running an office for a major Corporate Property/Insurance Company, and latterly managing the Hildenborough office of James Millard Independent Estate Agents which specialises in the sale of country houses.
Katherine got "roped-in" to Hever Residents Association in early 2004, where she serves as the representative for Pigdown Lane.
To email Katherine, .
Eleanor Heard
Ellie and Peter came to Hever in 1983. Educated at St Paul's Girls' School, Ellie went on to train as a children's nurse at Great Ormond Street in the halcyon days of "proper" matrons. Having qualified as a general nurse in Guildford she studied pain control and termin care at St. Christopher's Hospice under Dame Cecily Saunders.
Since moving to Hever, Ellie as worked at Edenbridge Hospital and been Chairman of The League of Friends. She has been a committed member of the congregation of St. Peter's Church, and was a Churchwarden for eight years.
She and Peter have a busy boarding kennels in Hertfordshire so, when not commuting via the M25, Ellie's hobbies are gardening, tree planting, dog walking and avoiding anything remotely connected with IT!
Editors Note: Ellie has recently confessed that she actually owns a mobile phone!
Peter Leppard
Peter Leppard is a Hever “local” in every sense of the word!
The Hever Residents Association is delighted to have Peter as a member of the Committee, bringing a wealth of local knowledge and experience to the table.
To email Peter,
Laura Palmer
Laura has been a business relationship / project manager over the past 15 years with a number of high profile investment banks.
She lives with her partner near the centre of the village and her hobbies include horse riding, gardening and learning to sail.
To e-mail Laura,
David Williams
David recently joined the Hever Residents Association committee and brings with him a wealth of horticultural experience as the owner of Graceful Gardens.
We look forward to working with David over many years.
To e-mail David,