ST JOHN’S Winchester has announced the appointment of Roger Bright as the new chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Mr Bright succeeds retiring acting chairman, Martin Lowry, who has filled the role since Richard Steel’s retirement in 2017.

He worked for the Crown Estate from 1999 to 2011, firstly as director of finance and administration and, from 2001, as chief executive and a member of the board. Prior to these responsibilities, he has worked for the FSA, the Personal Investment Authority, the Housing Corporation, and as a senior civil servant in the Department of the Environment.

Since retiring in 2011, Mr Bright has been in much demand and has served on the boards of the Council of the City University, the Royal Parks, and London First and as a member of the London Finance Commission. He is currently chairman of the West and North West Cambridge Estates Board, the chairman of Private Rented Sector Operations Ltd and a Member of the Council of the Royal Veterinary College.

A graduate in Modern and Medieval Languages from Trinity Hall, Cambridge University, he lives with his family near Hook.

Mr Bright said: “I am delighted to be joining the Board of St John’s Winchester and to being involved in this wonderful local charity. It has a long history of providing housing and care for older people in the community and has ambitious plans to extend that support in the future. It will be a privilege to support St John’s with its important work, and I look forward to working with the Trustees and staff .”