New deputy lieutenants appointed
A Tonbridge JP is one of three new Deputy Lieutenants of Kent appointed this week.
Louise Bryant has lived in the town since 1999 and is a magistrate on the Adult and Family Panels of the Central Kent Bench.
She is also currently the magistrate member of the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee.
Mrs Bryant recently served as the chairman of the Kent Judicial Business Group and of the Central Kent Bench. She is a qualified chartered accountant and a barrister.
She read modern languages (Portuguese) at Oxford, which comes in handy as she also owns a coconut farm in Brazil. She will be joined by Lord Colgrain of Sevenoaks. Born and brought up in Kent, he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, before entering the world of banking.
He then spent a year at The Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, followed by six years working full time on his family farm.
For the last 30 years, he has continued to oversee the running of the farm while working in London in financial services.
In 2015, he took over the role as president of the Kent County Agricultural Society. He is governor of Sevenoaks School and was the High Sheriff of Kent in 2013/14.
The third new deputy is Clive Stevens, from Margate, a chartered accountant and chairman of accountancy firm Kreston Reeves.
He is also a chairman of the trustees of the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate.
The Lord-Lieutenant of Kent, Viscount De L’Isle, said: “We welcome these exceptional new Deputy Lieutenants whose wide breadth of experience will further add to a strong team of men and women who help me support Her Majesty The Queen and her family within the ceremonial county of Kent.”
Viscount De L’isle now has 66 deputies to support him.