Meet the Trustees and the Team
The Rt. Hon. The Countess Bathurst
Founder and Chair
Born in Marlborough, Wiltshire in 1965, Lady Bathurst spent her childhood with her elder brother growing up in Lyme Regis, Dorset.
She met her husband in 1993. They married in 1996 when she moved to the Cotswolds. Since then, her time has been spent running the house at Cirencester Park, supporting her husband, and involving herself deeply in the Gloucestershire community and beyond.
In addition to her role as Chair of the NFRSA, she is also President and Patron to many local and national charities and associations, including National Vice President to the Royal British Legion Women’s Section.
Lady Bathurst served as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire 2016/17 and was particularly engaged with the Gloucestershire Constabulary especially, the Dog Section. She still remains an Ambassador to the PCC of Gloucestershire.
It was during this time she came up with the idea of the NFRSA and after sharing it with many individuals and experiencing a few unforeseen delays, her dream finally became a reality in 2022, when the NFRSA was officially born.
It is here her passion now lies.
Jane Muller
Vice-Chair
With over twenty years working at board level for several IT consultancies in London, Jane now runs a leadership coaching and HR consultancy. Her passion is improving business performance through people and culture change programmes.
Jane moved to Gloucestershire twelve years ago with her husband and two very furry and mad Labradoodles! She loves walking the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, regularly snubbing the sun and sand for two weeks of stay-cationing!
The NFRSA’s purpose is very close to her heart; she has always had a special relationship with animals, especially dogs. The fact that her mother (then aged 7) was regularly ‘guarded’ by the family’s German Shepherd when her parents were at work in the evening is not lost on her either!
Jill Bradley
Trustee and Management ComMittee
Jill started her career in advertising and worked for 10 years in companies Delaney, Fletcher Bozell and Leo Burnett on accounts including Chrysler Jeep, McDonalds and Proctor & Gamble.
Folllowing this, she worked at an events company for a year before starting her own company Benchmark Events which ran for 10 years. Jill specialised in bespoke, corporate events holding parties in venues such as Bloomsbury Ballroom, Bishops Palace and 9 Grosvenor Place for clients including Douglas & Gordon, Mirabaud Securities and Framestore.
Jill is married, has two children Jago & Tabitha, and they moved to Gloucestershire from London in 2021. She loves yoga and riding in her spare time and is very excited to be working on the setting up and future of the NFRSA.
Graham Coxell
Trustee
Meet Graham Coxell, a dynamic business leader with a proven track record of transforming companies across diverse sectors, delivering exceptional returns for investors.
As the youngest ever CEO of a FTSE 250 company, Graham spearheaded Marlborough Stirling’s growth, taking it from a £17m turnover, to a £120m IPO success.
Over his career, Graham has led turnarounds, scaled operations globally, and overseen acquisitions, including selling Rowan Dartington to St. James’s Place, where he joined the FTSE 100 Executive Board.
Graham’s passions extend beyond business – he’s an animal lover (meet his best furry friend Iris!), and proud Trustee to the NFRSA, where he channels his energy to support retired service animals.
Chief Fire Officer Sabrina Cohen-Hatton KFSM
Trustee
Dr. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton KFSM began her fire service career in 2001 with South Wales Fire and Rescue.
Dr. Cohen-Hatton has served in senior roles, including Deputy Assistant Commissioner for London Fire Brigade, and Chief Fire Officer in Surrey and West Sussex, before becoming Chief Fire Officer for Hampshire and Isle of Wight in September 2025.
Awarded the King’s Fire Service Medal in 2024, Sabrina is a recognized expert in risk-critical decision-making, with research that influences global emergency services policy, roles that have benefited from her wide operational experience in significant incidents, including the Westminster and Finsbury Park attacks.
Chief Fire Officer Cohen-Hatton also chairs the National Fire Chiefs Council Improvement Committee, holds honorary titles at Cardiff University, and has achieved chartered status from the Chartered Management Institute and the British Psychological Society.
A strong advocate for social mobility, she advises Prince William on ending homelessness and is an ambassador for The Big Issue and Street Vet. Her role as Trustee to the NFRSA is invaluable with her incredibly wide range of skills, as well as her compassion and love for all animals, in particular service animals, with a deep knowledge of the work they do.
HMPPS Nigel Batchelor
Head of Function – Head of Dog & Technical Support Group
Trustee
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Nigel Batchelor. I have two children and live with my partner and four French bulldogs in Nottinghamshire. Having four dogs definitely keeps me out of trouble!
I am currently serving in HM Prison and Probation Service and have been since joining the service in 1994. I have worked mainly in the West Midlands area starting at HMYOI Brinsford in Wolverhampton as a young prison officer, before moving to Learning & Development as a trainer for new entrant prison officers. In 2009, I moved to the National Tactical Response Group as a team leader attending incidents within prisons all over the country.
In 2019 I was privileged to be offered and accepted, the position of Head of Function for the National Dog and Technical Support Group based near Oxford. This was an exciting time for me as it was like starting a new career path and having to start all over again. To say that every day is a school day is an understatement!
The Prison Service have approximate eight hundred dogs of varying specialisms, this means that we retire approximately eighty dogs per year. I was therefore delighted to hear about, and now be involved in the NFRSA as a Trustee. I would like to think I will now play a vital role in supporting service animals after their dedicated service and into retirement. This is something that I am passionate about and recognise the work that needs to be done to help our service animals.
Richard Hunt
Management ComMittee and Grant Applications Panel
Richard is a police officer with 26 years’ experience with Gloucestershire Constabulary.
Richard has worked three general purpose dogs, two of which have been specially trained to be firearms support dogs working alongside armed officers in high threat related incidents involving weapons. In addition Richard has also worked two proactive drugs, cash and firearms search dogs.
Richard is currently working two dogs, Jango and Bonnie as well as being the lead instructor for the Constabulary.
Richard is passionate about the NFRSA as he has looked after 3 police dogs within his family home, where his three children have all grown up around them, and so he knows that when they retire from their working lives, how much the support of the charity is appreciated by all the owners of retired service animals across the country.
Tracey Wysocka
Management Committee and event coordinator
Tracey began her working life serving in the Royal Air Force as an Assistant Air Traffic Controller. After leaving the RAF, she joined Nationwide Building Society as a mortgage advisor but was quickly promoted into various management positions including Head of Direct Sales, Operations Manager and Employee Engagement Manager.
Tracey has always had a great love for dogs and following the sad parting of one of her beloved pets, she decided to leave the corporate life and follow her heart by starting up her own company and gaining qualifications in the field of canine behaviour and training.
Tracey is married with one son and a black Labrador, Dutch, who has become her new ‘picking up’ dog, after the sad loss of her beloved Lucia.
She is passionate about the NFRSA and loves being a part of something that has a uniqueness, as well as a charity that is really making a difference.
Nick Seal
Management Committee, Data and Website Lead
Nick has had a deep respect for dogs all his life, having grown up around Labradors and a Newfoundland who were very much part of the family. That early bond shaped his lifelong appreciation for the loyalty, intelligence and quiet bravery that dogs bring into our lives.
His respect for police dogs, however, was cemented during his seven years serving as a Special Constable. During one incident, a police dog stepped directly between him and a violent suspect, placing itself in harm’s way and quite literally saving his life. It was a defining moment. To witness that level of instinct, courage and selflessness at such close quarters left a lasting impact and a profound sense of gratitude.
Nick joined the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals because he believes that dogs who serve deserve the same protection in retirement that they provided throughout their careers. Police dogs give everything in the line of duty, and ensuring they receive care, support and dignity once their working days are over is something he feels strongly about.
In his professional life, Nick works in data and business intelligence. As NFRSA’s Management Committee lead for Data and Website, he oversees the charity’s data, reporting and digital presence, helping the organisation communicate its impact clearly and operate effectively in support of retired service animals across the UK.
Above all, Nick remains simply a dog lover who understands the extraordinary bond between handler and dog, and who is committed to giving back to the animals who spend their lives protecting others.
Sam Tiley
Management Committee , PR & Marketing
Sam works as an IT manager, but you’ll usually find her loving life in the Gloucestershire countryside, where she will be with her with two horses, five sheep, & Basset hound called Cilla.
She is thrilled to join the NFRSA team and is looking forward to doing all she can support our amazing retired service animals
Laura Colquhoun
Management Committee
Laura Colquhoun is a Psychotherapist and Counsellor for individuals and couples and has worked with practices in Harley Street London and the Cotswolds.
Laura loves Golden Retrievers, currently she has three and has successfully bred a litter which she still says is ‘one of the best experiences of my life’.
In fact, Laura loves all animals but has a particular fondness for dogs and cats. As well as the three Retrievers she has a one-eyed Jack Russell Shitzu cross and two moggies, they all get on like one big fluffy family.
Laura is thrilled to be part of the NFRSA and to support our service animals, has loved already meeting some of the amazing police dogs in training and their handlers, and is excited to work with the management committee.
Hannah Hockley
Management Committee
Hannah has an extensive background in the education sector and a successful career running her own apprenticeship management company, nurturing talent and leadership locally and across the UK. She is joint Vice President of the Cirencester Chamber of Commerce, organising the Cirencester Business Awards.
Hannah is deeply embedded in the local community, cherishing everything it has to offer. She is a big rugby fan and a dedicated supporter of Gloucester as well as the Welsh national team.
Sharing her home with Wilbur, her beloved Working Cocker Spaniel x Westie, who is the light of her life, her lifelong advocate for animal welfare has been Hannah’s passion. It has been a driving force, and her devotion to the well-being of animals extends into her proud involvement with the NFRSA, where she is dedicated to its work.
Hannah brings to the NFRSA a blend of leadership, compassion, and a deep-seated belief in the importance of giving back to those who have served us, be it through service or companionship. She is committed to advancing the foundation’s mission, making a lasting impact on the lives of retired service animals and their handlers across the nation.
Rod Benson
Grant Applications Panel
Rod Benson is a Veterinary Surgeon with 36 years of clinical experience. He has worked for the last 35 years in a 6 Vet mixed practice, dealing with both farm and companion animals though working primarily with the latter. He holds the CertVR. – a post- graduate qualification in diagnostic imaging covering X Rays and Ultrasound.
A keen footballer until his mid-forties, he has completed two rural marathons. Rod is married with two grown children, a cat and a dog!
Robert Darvill
Grant Applications Panel
Rob always knew he wanted to be a vet. He qualified from Cambridge University in 2008 and spent a year in mixed practice in Bedford before moving to the Cotswolds and joining Benson and Babb in 2009.
Rob is equally happy examining, diagnosing and preventing disease for pets or on farms, and especially likes delivering all forms of new life and surgical procedures.
Rob really enjoys the relationships he has formed with farmers and pet owners and a joint approach on trying to achieve the best outcomes for the animals in his care.
Rob has a much loved Cocker Spaniel called Ajax, a female cat called Keith and a collection of smaller pets cared for by his children. He is a member of Cirencester baptist church and likes to run, and play squash and tennis in his free time.
Nicola Masters BA (Hons) FCA
Honorary Treasurer
Nicola is a Chartered Accountant, with over 20 years’ experience and works at Wilson Wright, an accounting, tax and business advisory firm based in the City of London. She works for a variety of organisations, including charities.
Nicola has recently moved back to Wiltshire after 20 years in London, and has been making the most of this by doing plenty of lake swimming and enjoying long walks in the Cotswolds and surrounding areas.
Being a huge lover of animals and charitable causes, Nicola has always wanted to find a role that would encompass both, so feels very grateful to have found this at the NFRSA, and is delighted to be a part of the charity.
Neil Beaumont Smith
Management Committee
Neil is a West Country born business owner, with 30 year experience in hospitality and event management. Neil’s passion lies in his dedication to charity work, over the years he has worked significantly with military and children’s charities based in the UK and continues to do so.
Supporting local communities and nurturing local talent is incredibly important to Neil as he continues to pledge his dedication to the good causes of the NFRSA. With 3 dogs (2 of them rescued) he is a passionate animal lover and thrilled to continue his good work within the Management team of the charity.
When he is not working hard developing various events to support and promote the good work of the NFRSA, Neil is an avid tennis supporter, rugby, snow-sports and restaurant goer.
Adam Weal
Management Committee, Fundraising
For over 5 years, Adam has devoted his spare time to supporting retired service animals. He has dedicated time as a volunteer, taking on fundraising challenges before becoming a trustee and then chair of a local retired police dog charity. Along with compassion for the service animals he has worked for, he brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge of the charitable sector. Previously working alongside fundraisers, both corporate and individual, and working closely with local police dog sections to raise awareness and invaluable funds.
Outside of charity work Adam is a full time Greenkeeper at a championship golf course. His 3 beloved Spaniels;
Bracken, Willow and Archie certainly keep him busy when he isn’t working. Adam has enjoyed applying knowledge he has acquired from working with service animals to teaching his beautiful Willow to learn scent work, further demonstrating his love and respect for these wonderful creatures who work tirelessly to protect us from harm.
Within the NFRSA, Adam is on the Management Committee and is also our Individual Fundraising Manager. He offers unwavering support to our individual fundraisers and ensures they are fully supported to get the very best out of their fundraising journey. Adam makes sure our fundraisers are well looked after and their challenges are promoted to really make the most out of their efforts and to help spread awareness of the valuable work our retired service animals have done.
CONTACT US
Would you like to get involved, or find out more?
We would not be able to do what we do without our army of wonderful volunteers. If you feel you would like to help us in any capacity, whether it be administration or fundraising, please do get in touch using the form below.
Likewise, if you have something you'd like to ask us, please do so using the form below.
