Your Lieutenancy

Bristol Lieutenancy Family

Lord-Lieutenant Mrs Peaches Golding OBE CStJ RNR is the City’s third Lord-Lieutenant.  She was preceded by Sir James Napier Tidmarsh KCVO MBE (from 1996 to 2007) and Mrs Mary Prior CVO MBE DStJ JP (from 2007 to 2017).  Her commission runs until 2028. Lord-Lieutenants normally retire on their 75th birthday.

Historically, the office of Lord-Lieutenant dates to the reign of King Henry VIII who made the holder responsible for the maintenance of law and order and for all military matters necessary for defence.  The Lord-Lieutenant is appointed by His Majesty the King. The office is non-political.

The Vice Lord-Lieutenant is Lee Williams DL. One of the roles of Vice Lord-Lieutenant is the appointment of the Lord-Lieutenant, subject to the approval of The King, and lasts for an agreed period of time.  The Vice Lord-Lieutenant takes on such duties as the Lord-Lieutenant may decide and can represent the Lord-Lieutenant for any function except the chairing of the Keeper of the Roles.

The Deputy Lord-Lieutenants are appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant and vary in number according to the number of inhabitants in the County and City of Bristol at the last Census.  On this basis, there may be up to 33 Deputy Lord-Lieutenants in post.  Each retires on their 75th birthday.  The aim of the Lord-Lieutenant is to appoint Deputies that reflect the diversity of the County in terms of social range, community background, gender, ethnic mix and service to the community.

The  Vice Lord-Lieutenant and Deputy Lord-Lieutenants for the County and City of Bristol are:

Lee Williams DL, Vice Lord-Lieutenant

Lee was born and educated in Bristol and is married to Susan with two daughters Aimee and Lucy.  Lee has had a lifetime's involvement with the Bristol Voluntary Youth Sector initially through his association with community based Youth Clubs and now through his role at Young Bristol.  Lee worked for many years in the private sector in various roles.  A career change saw him join Young Bristol in 2002, becoming its Chief Executive in 2017.  Upon retiring from playing football at semi-professional level, Lee qualified as a Sports Therapist and until recently combined his role at Young Bristol with running his own Sports Injury Business and being Sports Therapist at Bath City F.C.  Lee represents Young Bristol on a number of Local and National Youth Sector Bodies, is a Trustee of a number of charities and also provides support on youth related matters to the High Sheriff of the City of Bristol.

Lee Williams

Dick Hamilton Clerk to the Lieutenancy

A retired police officer who served for 30 years with the Avon and Somerset Constabulary. He remained there for a further 13 years as a member of police staff planning Royal and VIP visits.

Dick Hamilton

Maggie Cameron MBE DL

I'm a listening volunteer with Bristol Samaritans. Within Samaritans I'm the South West Regional Volunteering Support officer, a Postvention advisor providing support following an unexplained death in a school, college or University and a Quality Mentor ensuring other branches are following policies, good practice and safeguarding.

Outside of Samaritans, I volunteer for Shout crisis text line and deliver several suicide intervention training programmes for LivingWorks, SFA and suicide awareness workshops for the local authorities.

I also support my husband Don in Cameron Balloons. We have seven amazing children and have four lovely grand-children.

Maggie Cameron

Mr David Constantine MBE DL

David Constantine MBE is Founder Director of Motivation, a charity which sets up self-sustaining projects to improve the quality of life of people with mobility disabilities, mainly in developing countries. Working in collaboration with partner organisations, both international and national NGO’s, Motivation designs and provides wheelchairs specifically developed for the challenging environment they are needed in. Motivation also works to ensure that the wheelchairs are provided through trained wheelchair services and that disabled people have the best opportunity to be included in all aspects of life, receiving the equipment, training and support to be healthy, confident and active. Motivation has worked with the World Health Organization to help create global guidelines on the provision of wheelchairs in less resourced settings.

Appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County and City of Bristol in September 2014.

Mr David Constantine

Anne Nisbet DL

Anne is a Trustee and Chairs The Nisbet Trust, which focusses on supporting Bristol charities working with disadvantaged children and young people, tackling racism, preventing homelessness and supporting arts and performance venues.  She is a Director of Keywest Holdings and Nisbets Plc.

Passionate about charitable causes in Greater Bristol, Anne is active in a number of local organisations through the Trust, including Bristol hospitals’ charity Above and Beyond and Chaired their Golden Gift Appeal 2012–2016. Anne has been on the Management Committee of the Cote Charity since 2007, which manages two care homes for the elderly in Bristol.

Anne Nisbet

Alex Raikes MBE DL

Alex became Strategic Director of Stand Against Racism & Inequality (SARI) - a leading, regional hate crime charity – in 2014 having joined as their first caseworker in 1991 under the leadership of the founder Director the late Batook Pandya MBE DL.  Alex has gone on to be a driving force in SARI and its surrounding areas for tackling racism and hate crime; ensuring a best practice response by responsible agencies and ensuring that conflicts between and within communities are minimised so safety, security and cohesion is maintained for all. Alex is a trustee of the Learn @ Multi-Academy Trust (provides specialist education provision for children with communication barriers and alternative education for young people excluded from mainstream); is a member of the University of Bristol Court; was awarded an MBE in 2009 for her contribution to race relations; was made an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of West of England in 2019 and in November 2019 was announced as Bristol’s High Sheriff in Nomination (2022).  Crucially, as a dual heritage individual with 4 sons, Alex has first-hand experience of racism and running a busy, lively household.

Alex Raikes

Mr Stephen Parsons MBE DL

Stephen Parsons read law at Leeds University and General Management at Bradford University, His business career was principally in Aerospace and Defence Companies He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the County and City of Bristol in June 2010 and was Master of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals between 2009 – 2010. He was Chair of the NSPCC Bristol Business Committee between 1998 and 2002, Chair of the Choral Foundation of Bristol Cathedral between 2002 and 2012. He was Chair of Quartet Community Foundation from May 2010 to October 2014. He was the Chair of The Social Enterprise Sector Group of the West of England LEP between 2010 and 2017 and more recently a board member of the WOE LEP West of England Investment Board. He was Chair of the Worshipful Company of Security Professional Charitable Trust between 2011 and 2015. Stephen is Chair of the following: The Cathedral Schools Trust, Bristol Cathedral Choir School, The Cathedral Primary School, The Fitzhardinge Society, Bristol Cathedral Trust. He is a Director of the Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust and the Diocese of Bristol Academies Company. He is a Board Member of the United Kingdom Community Foundations, Nuclear South West and the Bristol Initiative. Stephen is a member of the Standing Committee and actively participates in Merchant Venturers Committees including the Care of the Elderly Charity, the Charity Committee, and the Heritage Committee. He is a Canon of the College of Canons of the Diocese of Bristol. He was awarded an MBE on 31/12/2014.

Mr Stephen Parsons

Revd Richard Pendlebury MBE DL

Richard is the Chief Executive of the Anchor Society, a grant making charity serving older people in the greater Bristol region and chair of Bristol and Bath Regional Capital, a social investment Community Interest Company.   Prior to this he established a number of charities including Changing Tunes, Emmaus Bristol and The Beacon Centre, Cardiff.  Richard is an ordained minister in the Church of England. 

Richard was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours 2009. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County and City of Bristol in June 2010.

Revd Richard Pendlebury

Mrs Aroona Smith MBE DL

Aroona Smith is wife to Steven, mother to Aysha and Natalie and grandmother to Louana and Anaya. She worked in the voluntary sector for 30 years. Much of her work involved setting up skills and building employment opportunities for disadvantaged women.  Now retired.

Currently Trustee of the New Room [John Wesley’s Chapel] and Steward at Totterdown Methodist Church. Appointed a Deputy Lieutenant in March 2004, she received an MBE in the Birthday Honours 2005.

Mrs Aroona Smith

Colonel Jane Thompson TD DL PhD APFS

I graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 1976, with a BSc in Human Biology, followed by an MSc in Animal Nutrition from Aberdeen University.  Having worked at the Medical Research Council Molecular Haematology Unit, University of Oxford, I came to Bristol in 1985 to do a PGCE.  In 1994 I obtained a PhD in Clinical Veterinary Medicine and then changed career to be a Chartered Financial Planner.  I was in the Reserve Army for 35 years, a great deal of it at Bristol University Officers Training Corps, and I was on the staff of the Army Officer Selection Board at Westbury.  In August 2009 I became the first woman to command the Bristol City and County Army Cadet Force, a youth organisation staffed mainly by volunteers. I keep in contact with Bristol University by sitting on a number of Committees, including the Wills Hall Association, the Knowlson Trust and Convocation. I live in Bristol and I am Chairman of the Army Benevolent Fund.

Appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County and City of Bristol in September  2014.

Colonel Jane Thompson

Dom Wood DL

Dom came to Bristol to read maths and psychology at Bristol University in 1987 and loving the city, stayed ever since.  He started work in homelessness in 1991 for Riverside and joined 1625 Independent People, the leading Youth Homelessness and Care Leavers charity in the area, in 1996. 1625 Independent People is part of the National End Youth Homelessness Alliance and provides services across the whole youth homelessness and care leavers pathway from prevention to move-on housing including specialist support around areas such as education, employment & training and mental health.  In 1999 Dom completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Housing Studies at the University of the West of England and became Chief Executive of the charity in 2003.  For his work in youth homelessness and for Bristol, Dom was awarded an Honorary Dr of Laws by Bristol University in 2018.  Appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County and City of Bristol in July 2020.

Dom Wood