About Us

Lt Col Ian Daniell is an engineer by background, an army office by training and has 
gradually, slightly to his surprise, become an academic.

On graduating he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers where he served for 20 years 
eventually commanding a Bomb Disposal (EOD) Regiment.

On leaving the regular army he served for a further 10 years with the Territorial Army 
running a team of specialist watchkeepers.

He set up and developed his own company before starting to lecture at the Bayes (formerly Cass) 
Business School where he is still the Visiting Lecturer Director.

He has been a Church Warden at St Catherines Next Preston and a magistrate on the 
Central Kent Branch.

Email: chairman@favershamrbl.org


Treasurer

Nigel Kay is a Fellow of the Charted Association of Certified Accounts and a Charted Tax Practitioner who worked in the City of London in Fund management for over 30 years before retiring. He has been involved in helping local charities for over 40 years. He was Major of Faversham from 2014 to 2016 and in that capacity he had the honour of laying the Town's wreath on the War Memorial on behalf of the Faversham Town Council and the people of Faversham.


Secretary

Joy Hopkins, ex RAF Auxiliary, served in First Gulf War as an Aeromed.  Joy is married to Chris (Branch Standard Bearer) and she is joint Poppy Appeal Organiser for Faversham, with Chris.  Joy had a career in Hotel Management then Human Resources and is now retired.  After early retirement Joy and Chris ran a skippered boat charter in Menorca for 4 years.  She has been a Trustee of a local Domestic Abuse Charity and her Church. She offers B& B in her spare room and  is active in Charity work.  She likes walking, swimming and gardening.

Email: secretary@favershamrbl.org


Committee Member and Standard Bearer

Chris Hopkins, ex Royal Engineer and ex RAF Auxiliary, saw a tour of Northern Ireland in the early 70’s and served with his wife Joy, in the first Gulf War, also as an Aeromed. A career as a PTI in the RE and then as a civilian instructor training junior soldiers at Old Park Barracks and then Arborfield.  Retired due to an injury at 50, he then ran a skippered charter in Menorca, with Joy, on their own Catamaran.  Since settling in Faversham (the boat became a bungalow!) he has volunteered for Help for Heroes and is now joint Poppy Appeal Organiser with his wife Joy.  He is also actively volunteering with charity fundraising for the Royal Engineers Association and The Gurkha Welfare Trust.

Email: secretary@favershamrbl.org


Committee Member

Charles Gibson, is a local Councillor representing Abbey Ward on Faversham Town and Swale Borough councils. Following a career in political and charity communications Charles now works for the Royal Engineers Central charitable trust supporting the Corps of Royal Engineers and their associated charities based at their museum in Chatham.  Outside of work Charles plays in the Medway Brass Band and enjoys tending his allotment.



Committee Member

Tony Weavers is a local resident of Faversham. Tony has been a Public Servant in London between 1982 and 2012. Tony’s late father was a keen supporter of the RBL, following emergency military service in the Royal Artillery  between 1940 and 1946, attaining the rank of Captain, at the age of 25. Following his father’s demobilisation, he returned to his Profession of being a Chartered Accountant. Following his father’s death in 1983, Tony has been an active contributor to the RBL at a local level.
Tony is a keen supporter of Cricket, both at County and National level.


Committee Member

Rene Hulls is proud to serve on the Faversham RBL Committee, shaped by her RAF family background and her partner’s service in the Royal Engineers. Her career spans marketing, ecommerce and branding, leading the marketing function at Harrods and delivering major campaigns for retailers including ASOS, AllSaints and Molton Brown. A Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Institute of Data & Marketing, Rene blends creativity with a thoughtful, community-minded approach. Outside of work, she loves yoga, cinema, history, spending time at the beach and anything creative.


Committee Member

Sqn Ldr (Retd) John Burke RAF, is an Electronics Engineer who had a career in the RAF and served for 32 years in various locations worldwide.

Now retired, on leaving the RAF he worked in several different senior management roles including Health & Safety, Facility Management and Project Management, in both the charity and commercial sectors. His last role was with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London.

Before moving to Faversham, he had previously served on other RBL and RAFA committees. He is currently Deputy Chair of RAFA Faversham Branch.

Outside of work he was a Rugby Union Referee for the Combined Services and Civilian Societies across the UK.