I joined the Society when I began to volunteer in the Visitor Information Centre. Seeing first-hand the fantastic impression that visitors have of the town made me fully appreciate how lucky we are to live here and what a hidden gem it really is.

Because of my background in IT, I took on the role of membership secretary soon after. Now, I’m responsible for the Outreach Group, which includes revitalising the Faversham Papers as well as developing new publications covering different aspects of the town’s rich history and using some of the unique archive material the Society owns. I’m organising talks and events for Society members and reaching out to the wider community, to hopefully increase our membership and volunteer base.

Faversham is a fascinating place and, along with the 200 like-minded people who give their time to preserve it and help with Society activities, I’m very proud to call it home.

I have lived in Faversham for the past ten years, but my connection to the town spans my entire life. My family’s roots here can be traced back to the 1600s, shaping a deep appreciation for Faversham’s history, character, and the stories that make it uniquely special.

Alongside this personal connection, I bring professional experience as a Governance Manager to the Trustee Board.

The Faversham Society plays a vital role in protecting and celebrating the town’s heritage—its buildings, archives, landscapes, and community stories. I am proud to contribute my skills and experience to support its work, helping ensure that Faversham’s rich past continues to inform and inspire its future.

Jonathan is a conservation architect and leads on the maintenance of Faversham's historic buildings.

I’m a research professional working at a university. I first visited Faversham Creek more than 15 years ago, and from the moment I arrived, I felt a connection to the place. Over the years, we have returned many times—we’re lucky to have close friends in the area—and for the past few years, we’ve made Faversham our base. I’ve always been drawn to historical artefacts and old buildings—and it's deepened through my interest in the prehistoric archaeology of Asia Minor and my lifelong affection for vintage books. So it didn’t take long before I found my way to the local museum and, of course, the old bookshop.

 When the new Fleur bookshop opened in August 2022, I jumped at the chance to volunteer. Since then, I’ve worked with some wonderful members and volunteers of the Faversham Society, attended various meetings, and organised a private tour of the historic Neame Brewery buildings.

I care deeply about cultural heritage, environment, education, and equality. I’m energised by collective thinking and community action—especially when those things come together to make something impactful and lasting. I’m excited and honoured to join the Board as a new Trustee.

My family moved ‘into town’ in 2001 after moving from London - first to Conyer, then Throwley and then Otterden.

For a couple of decades, I commuted daily to London where I worked as CEO of British Pregnancy Advisory Service. As Chair of the Governing Body of Mid Kent College, much of my time was focused on Gillingham and the problems of the Medway Towns.

Now, having retired in 2020, I am usually found volunteering in the Fleur Bookshop, or out and about with the my dog on the marshes or fields around town.

Like many Faversham residents, I have close links with The University of Kent. I was an undergraduate student there, my husband is an emeritus Professor and recently I was honoured to receive, from the university,an Honorary Doctorate in the Sciences.

I have lived in Faversham since 1977, in the same half square mile. When I graduated the only work I could find in adult education was in Kent. If I had not found, and fallen in love with, Faversham, I would have moved back north. I did move to Leeds and Manchester, but only for work, commuting weekly by rail. In 2014 Arthur Percival asked me to consider joining the Board, and after 37 years of having enjoyed the benefits of the Faversham Society’s work conserving the best of Faversham I could not see how I could reasonably decline. I was elected to the Board in April 2014 and to the Chair in June 2016. Faversham is facing as much change now as it did with the coming of the railway and we are heavily involved with the planning of infrastructure, housing and traffic management. 

Find out more about my activities in Faversham and internationally ....

Matthew is an independent consultant, chair of the Advisory Board of the Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at the University of Kent, and a trustee of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.  As former Director of Conservation at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), he was responsible for driving ZSL’s field conservation programmes in more than 50 countries worldwide.  Matthew joined ZSL following a 30-year career with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), where he served as Chief Executive for WCS Europe, having previously overseen in-country teams in Madagascar – where he helped to create Masoala and Sahamalaza/Iles Radama National Parks – and Congo, where he helped to establish Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park and co-managed a capacity-building programme for protected area staff.

I am an archaeologist by profession, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquities London and a member of the Chartered Institute of Archaeologists and have lived in Faversham since 2022. I specialise in archaeology of 16th and 17th century playhouses, having led the excavations of three of London’s earliest theatres. I have developed new approaches and collaborations between archaeologists and scholars across a range of disciplines and my work often achieves direct impact by providing archaeological data to inform key decisions by planners, developers, architects and designers, engendering meaningful connections between communities and places.

I am mindful of the responsibilities and commitments required of a trustee as prior to my move to Faversham I was trustee of a community lead museum in Surrey for eight years. The main incentive for the move from Surrey to Kent was the prospect of being part of a community that actively champions its heritage, sees the relevance of the past and how the past can contribute to shaping the future for the benefit of all. I look forward to the opportunity of contributing to, and learning more about, this incredibly special town and its people, past and present.

I have been actively involved with the work of the Faversham Society for most of my life from the restoration of Chart Mills in 1969 with my father Peter Salmon, uncle Jack Salmon and with Andrew Osborne and Arthur Percival. I also represented the Society at Kent Federation of Amenity Societies conferences with Peter Salmon. I have been on the Faversham Society Council and then the Board since 2000.

I have been a member of the Planning Committee since 1987 and Chair since 2000. As Chartered Town Planner with over 30 years’ experience, I have the expertise to make representations on behalf of the Society on planning applications and planning documents at all levels. I represented the Faversham Society successfully at the Public Inquiry on footpath ZF5 in 2014. I was a founder member of the Steering Group for the Creek Neighbourhood Plan and worked on drafting the plan and organising the public consultation. I prepared the Basic Conditions Paper and Consultation Statement for the Plan, the latter of which received specific commendation by the Inspector. I also co-authored the Undesignated Heritage Paper which extended protection to heritage assets not covered by listing. I was also involved in drafting the initial comments from the Society on the Cleve Hill Solar Power Station.

I have been volunteering for the Faversham Society since February 2020. Prior to that I served as the Secretary of the Bromley Civic Society for 7 years, supporting the work of the Chair, preparing papers for the AGM, running events such as historical walks and updating the website and social media platforms.

I am a lecturer at a London university specialising in digital education, online learning and developing digital and information literacy skills. Before that I worked for 15 years as a copyright advisor and have a particular interest in the open licensing of cultural heritage and educational resources.

I offer expertise to the Society in education-related projects particularly in relation to using new technologies to engage the community. I am an experienced writer and speaker and my first degree was in history. I am also a qualified librarian with strong links to those works in the library and archive sector as well as in higher education. I edited a professional journal for several years and have a solid understanding of publishing, digitisation and copyright issues. Most importantly, I love Faversham and its wonderful people and history and I am honoured to serve on the board.

I am a professsional librarian who aims to make unique and distinctive collections more accessible by getting catalogues online, opening libraries to visitors and sharing knowledge.

I have curated special collections in places as varied as Canterbury Cathedral Library, Goldsmiths. University of London, Greenwich local history library and archives and University of Kent, where I still work on cataloguing projects. I a a Chartered Member of CILIP, member of the Bibliographical Society, the Historic Libraries Forum and of ArLiS (Art Libraries Society). My doctoral research was in visual arts and as a researcher I like the material history of books and enjoy writing about collectors and their libraries.

I moved to Faversham in 2025. In the town I have been a volunteer in the Fleur bookshop and the museum and the Doddington Parochial library. I became Librarian for the Faversham Society only recently in 2025. For me the society provides opportunities to connect people with ideas about heritage and community to enable us to contribute to a pleasant and stimulating place to live in or visit.

Tim Stonor has lived in Faversham - and been a member of the Faversham Society - since 2001. He has been a trustee of the Society since 2016 and has served as a member of the Environment Committee.

He has been involved in projects to improve the Faversham’s streets and public spaces, working as a member of community groups (20’s Plenty Community Working Group, Friends of the Westbrook), as an advisor to the Town Council (20’s Plenty, Neighbourhood Plan, Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan) and as a consultant to the Duchy of Cornwall.

Tim is an architect and urban planner. He is Managing Director of the architectural consulting firm Space Syntax, a founding member and former director of The Academy of Urbanism, a Visiting Professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, and a Harvard Loeb Fellow. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Norman Foster Foundation and a former Deputy Chair and Trustee at the UK Design Council, where he is now an Ambassador.

A fellow of the Imperial War Museum. Teacher from 1969 – 1991, incl. senior teacher management team 1980 - 1991. Local Authority and Register Inspector (Ofsted) 1991 – 2006. Millenium Education Project Co-ordinator for Newcastle Upon Tyne 2000-2001. Until 2018, I was a Project Manager for history and heritage for Newcastle City Council, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, Science City and Learning Arc – NE Archivists.

I am the author of over 50 history books both fiction and non-fiction from Key Stage 1 – 6th form, with the most infamous being Terrible Tudors, in the Horrible Histories series. Since moving to Faversham in 2020 I have organised 5 major school projects in Faversham and Rochester, including: The Great Explosion, 1916 The First Remembrance, 1922 Crime and Punishment in Faversham from Tudor Times to the Present. As above with schools in Rochester Faversham on the Frontline, ‘39-‘45. I serve on the Members Committee of the Alexander Centre, organising historical talks and I am currently working with the University of Kent on a historical project for Medway.

I have been a Society member for nearly 33 years and an active volunteer since 2008 serving on the board of trustees from 2012 to July 2020 and 2022 to date. I also volunteer in the visitor information centre on a Saturday morning.

I am currently the co-chair of the Board’s resources committee which deals and oversees all the financial aspects of the Society. Additionally, I handle all the Society’s invoices and assist the Treasurer with the management accounts. I also purchase for the Society equipment and handle a plethora of other small and not so small issues.