The Rochester Bridge Trust Staff

Much of the work of The Rochester Bridge Trust is carried out by professional agents, including the Bridge Engineer; the Surveyor, Smiths Gore; the Investment Manager, JPMorgan Asset Management (UK) Ltd.; and the Solicitor, asblaw. In addition to these agents, who report to the Court of Wardens and Assistants, the Trust employs a small, mainly part-time staff, who carry out the day-to-day work of the Trust between the quarterly meetings of the Wardens and Assistants.

Sue Threader is a Chartered Civil Engineer, having graduated with a B.Eng. in Civil and Structural Engineering from the University of Sheffield in 1988. She worked for several local authorities as a civil engineer and transportation planner before joining the international engineering consultancy, WSP Group plc, in 1998 as a Technical Director.

Moving back to the public sector in 2001, Sue held the post of Deputy Chief Executive and firstly Director of Services, then Director of Resources, for a district council in Surrey. Her elder son, Ben, was born in 2004 and, after returning to her previous post for 6 months, she then worked as a freelance management consultant specialising in procurement and public sector trouble-shooting. She was appointed as the Bridge Clerk (Chief Executive) of the Rochester Bridge Trust in January 2006.

Apart from working for the Trust two days a week, Sue has been a member of Employment Tribunals for several years, is a trustee of the Chatham Maritime Trust, and serves as treasurer of the Blendon District Guide Association. She occasionally carries out freelance management consultancy work and regularly gives talks on civil engineering or the work of the Trust to schools and interested groups. Her second son, Rowan, was born in August 2008.

Helen Corbett was educated at Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls and qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant in 2001.

Helen’s background is in the asset management industry, where she has held various positions with investment management firms both in portfolio management and corporate finance areas. She has gained a diverse range of experience within this sector, most recently holding the position of Vice President - EMEA Finance for BlackRock.

She joined the Trust as Chief Finance Officer in August 2011 and has responsibility for the statutory accounts, financial management, insurances, and financial relationships with the Investment Manager and Property Manager as well as managing risk and health and safety issues for the Trust.

Helen has volunteered for St. John Ambulance for the past ten years and currently holds the position of honorary treasurer for her local division. She also enjoys spending much of her spare time walking with her family and her dogs.

James M. Gibson received the B.A. in 1970 from Houghton College and the M.A. in 1974 and Ph.D. in 1976 from the University of Pennsylvania. He lectured in English literature and writing at Houghton College, before coming to Kent on sabbatical leave in 1984 to begin editing the Kent volumes for the international research project Records of Early English Drama.

Having decided to settle permanantly in Kent, he began working as part-time archivist in 1987 for The Rochester Bridge Trust, where he has catalogued the bridge archive, helped write and edit the bridge history, Traffic and Politics, and designed the bridge website.

He has also catalogued the records and written the histories of The New College of Cobham and the Walthamstow Almshouse and General Charities. Currently, in addition to his work for the Rochester Bridge Trust, he serves as part-time archivist for the Richard Watts and City of Rochester Almshouse Charities and as Senior Research Fellow in the School of History at the University of Kent.

Lee Hughes joined the Rochester Bridge Trust as Assistant Bridge Caretaker in July 1990 at the age of 16. He received on-the-job training in joinery and cabinet making and has attended courses in mechanical production, electrical installation, welding, and plumbing at MidKent College, where he won the Short Brothers Award and the John Osborne Memorial Plaque.

In November 2009 Lee was appointed Bridge Maintenance Manager and now supervises the day-to-day care of the bridges.

Nigel Pointon started his career in the printing industry and worked for many years as a buying manager for Kent County Council.

After taking early retirement, he joined the Rochester Bridge Trust in August 1998 as Bridge Chamber Caretaker.

A very practical man, Nigel has completely restored his house and over the years has been involved in Gillingham scouting, serving on the District Executive and District Appointments Committee.

After receiving RSA qualifications in typing and shorthand, Jane Smith worked as secretary for NatWest, Ye Olde Oak, and British Oxygen.

Following a career break to bring up her family, during which she worked part-time teaching shorthand, Jane joined the Rochester Bridge Trust in February 1996 and now provides secretarial service to all the staff.

When she is not studying Italian, her favourite pastime is ballroom and Latin American dancing, and for the last twenty years she and her husband have been attending classes and competitions.

Gareth Edwards attended Medway College, where he attained the NVQ Level 2 in Performing Engineering Operations and the BTEC First Diploma in Engineering.

He was employed as Assistant Bridge Caretaker in August 2005 and has continued his training with City & Guilds qualifications in Electrical Installation and Welding and Fabrication. He is currently studying Carpentry at the Building Crafts College in London.

His great pastimes include the restoration and exhibition of stationary engines and building of model railways.

Daniel Thorpe attended Chatham Grammar School for Boys and MidKent College, where he obtained the City and Guilds Level 2 in The World of Engineering, Welding, and Fabrication.

He worked for Southern Elevators as a lifts service and construction engineer and for KES (South) Ltd as a sheet metal worker, before joining the Rochester Bridge Trust in 2010 as a trainee technician. He has continued his training in Construction Bricklaying at MidKent College and is currently learning Stone Masonry at the Building Crafts College in London.

Outside of work he pursues his interests in creative performance arts and music, having founded the Medway Music Express and more recently a new organisation called Eclectic Collectives.

Having taken early retirement from National Power, where he was Production Foreman, Eric Clive joined the Rochester Bridge Trust in March 1995 as Bridge Chamber Caretaker.

Two years later he was also employed as part-time Assistant Bridge Caretaker, and in August 1998 he succeeded to the post of Bridge Caretaker.

Now retired from the Trust, he continues to look after the Bridge Chamber and Esplanade gardens. His passion is home improvement, and he always has a project on the go.