FIVE new deputy lieutenants have been appointed for Somerset.

Through their new role, the lieutenants will support the lord lieutenant, the King’s representative in the county, in their duties.

The new deputy lieutenants are rev Prebendary Narinder Tegally, Caroline Boddington, Ali Vowles, David Brown and Richard Swallow.

Somerset’s Lord-Lieutenant, Mohammed Saddiq, said: “We are delighted to welcome these five who bring wide and varied experience to the lieutenancy in Somerset.

“They will do a great deal to encourage, support and celebrate the lives and achievements of people and voluntary organisations in our county – and that is what the lieutenancy is about.”

Rev Narinder Tegally

Before her ordination in the Anglican Church, Narinder was a registered nurse working in palliative care and mental health.

She is a qualified psychodynamic counsellor and intercultural psychotherapist, counselling supervisor and spiritual director.

Currently, she is the lead chaplain of Royal United Hospitals Bath and also priest vicar at Wells Cathedral.

She is a trustee for Ammerdown Retreat Centre, which aspires towards hospitality, peace and reconciliation. Narinder leads retreats, quiet days, and training on racial justice, diversity and bereavement at Ammerdown.

She and her husband have three grown up daughters and three grandchildren.

Caroline Boddington

Caroline was born in Herefordshire and settled just outside Bath in 2018, having travelled via Honduras, Oxford, Manchester, London and Derbyshire.

She has worked in the commercial and faith sectors.

With an international HR background, she has an interest in flourishing communities, organisations and groups.

As a volunteer herself, she meets many people who contribute so much to local life and can see the challenges faced by charities and groups in delivering their services and making the changes they seek.

Most recently Caroline worked for the Church of England, overseeing the appointment and training of senior clergy.

She currently volunteers as a telephone adviser for Citizens Advice, is a non-executive member of Wells Cathedral Chapter and on the PCC of her local church.

She is an amateur musician and plays the bassoon in the Bath All-Comers Orchestra, sings in her church choir and in larger choruses when she can find the time.

Ali Vowles

Ali Vowles spent most of her working life working as a presenter and reporter for BBC TV and radio, mainly based in Bath

She grew up on a small dairy farm in Gloucestershire. Her parents came from many generations of farmers in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

She graduated with a BA (Hons) in Media and Communication studies at Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University).

The first time she walked into a radio studio over thirty years ago, Ali fell in love with the job which was to become her career for many years.

That career took her to every nook and cranny of the West Country.

She says the most enjoyable bit has been meeting and interviewing thousands of people, who have trusted her to tell their stories.

As a freelance she now enjoys all kinds of work from event and conference hosting to media training and even modelling.

Supporting charities has always been an important part of Ali’s life.

She is a patron for the testicular cancer charity, It’s In The Bag – and an ambassador for the dementia research charity, BRACE.

She has also been given the University of Bath’s Vice Chancellor’s Award for her outstanding contribution to the community.

She has mainly lived in Bath since 1987. She is married and has one son.

David A J Brown OBE

David joined The Bristol Port Company in October 2008 as the operations director and was appointed as its chief executive officer in 2016.

Bristol Port remains the largest private and independently owned port in the UK, employing more than 600 personnel.

It operates over a 2,600 acre estate with a hugely diverse portfolio of trades.

Prior to joining the port, David spent 24 years serving in the British Army during which time he was involved in numerous operational deployments culminating in commanding his battalion in Afghanistan in 2007.

David is a business representative on the main board of the West of England Combined Authority, Local Enterprise Partnership and chair of governors at Wells Cathedral School.

David is married to Sophie and they have three children.

Richard Swallow

Richard was educated at Uppingham School and Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge where he read law.

He is admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England & Wales and the Supreme Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

He has been at the same leading city law firm since 1991 and specialises in disputes and investigations.

The main focus of Richard’s work in the voluntary sector has been on mental health and social mobility.

As well as being a vocal advocate for mental health awareness, both within his law firm and across the wider legal profession, he is currently a trustee, and chair of the appeal board, at James’s Place, a national male suicide prevention charity.

He is also involved with the social mobility charity upReach and for a number of years has acted as a mentor to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are looking to join the legal profession.

In 2024 he was nominated as Best Mentor of the Year at the Student Social Mobility Awards.

In addition, he is a specially appointed commissioner at the Royal Hospital , Chelsea.

He and his family moved from London to Somerset in 2007.

He lives with his wife Fiona in a village on the edge of the Blackmore Vale where they make cider and try (unsuccessfully) to keep bees.

They have four adult children, two sons and two daughters. Richard’s interests include travel, skiing, cricket and open water swimming.