Lincoln Cathedral has appointed five new members to its Chapter – the governing body of the Cathedral.

The Very Revd Dr Simon Jones, Dean of Lincoln welcomed Hilary Hamnett, Martin Hickerton, Amy Livingstone, Andrew Long and Neil Rhodes as new members. They will join current members Carolyn Bailey, Harvey Dowdy, Mark Suthern and Stuart Welsh, who serve alongside the Dean, Precentor and Missioner.

The role of Chapter is to oversee the administration of the affairs of the Cathedral, and since it became a registered charity in 2024 members of Chapter are also trustees.

These new non-executive members come to the Cathedral with a wide range of experience and expertise with which to support the cathedral as it embraces the opportunities and challenges in the next period of its history.

Hilary Hamnett

Hilary is an Associate Professor in Forensic Science at the University of Lincoln, a member of the worshipping community at Lincoln Cathedral and a volunteer Steward. She read Chemistry at Oxford and worked as a Forensic Toxicologist in the UK and New Zealand until coming to Lincoln in 2018. Her areas of research expertise include cognitive bias and the way poisons are used in fiction. She has two sons who also attend the cathedral, currently two and four years old.

Martin Hickerton

Martin is Chief Executive Officer of the Lincoln City Foundation. Born in Lincoln he went to school in North Hykeham and attended All Saints Church, where he still volunteers through music and children’s work. Martin studied at the University of Keele and recently completed a Masters in Business Administration at the University of Lincoln.

Following 15 years’ experience in the private sector, he moved into the world of academia as an Associate Professor at the University of Lincoln, and in 2021 he was delighted to accept the role of CEO at the Lincoln City Foundation Charity.

He has a very busy family life which revolves a great deal around the Cathedral as two of his three children are choristers. The other child is more interested in football – which suits his day job! He and his wife attend Cathedral services each week.

Amy Livingstone

Amy Livingstone is the Head of the Lincoln School of Humanities and Heritage and Professor of Medieval History. Previously she was the Associate Dean of the Honors College and Professor of History at Ball State University in Indiana and the H.O. Hirt Professor of History at Wittenberg University in Ohio. She is a scholar of medieval Europe and her research focuses on the aristocracy of medieval France, particularly women and the family. In 2017 she received the Medieval Academy of America/Committee on Centers and Regional Associations Teaching Excellence Award.

Professor Livingstone is also the editor of the Haskins Society Studies in Medieval History books series, co-editor of Medieval People, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge.

Andrew Long

Andrew has lived near Lincoln most of his life and graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 1982 with a BSc in Urban Land Economics.

As an experienced Chartered Surveyor and Businessman, he has held senior positions at partner and director level for 40 years. Since the early 80s, Andrew has been a General Practice Commercial Surveyor with local firms such as Earl & Lawrence and Banks Long & Co.  He is founder of Extra Motorway Service Area Group, partnering with a major public sector US pension fund before retiring as Group CEO in May 2023, then becoming Chairman working in conjunction with the group’s new owners.

Since July 2022, Andrew has owned the White Hart Hotel in the Bailgate area of Lincoln has undertaken a comprehensive refurbishment. The hotel was reopened in December 2023 and is now part of Andrew’s Loxley Collection, also including Hotel Polurrian in Cornwall and Hotel Victoria in Robin Hood’s Bay.

Andrew and his wife Jean have lived at Coleby for 40 years and have three married children, together with seven grandchildren.  Andrew continues to have a busy commercial and social life, including being a member of Investors in Lincoln, Graffoe PCC, All Saints Coleby VCC and other village and charity committees.

Neil Rhodes

Neil Rhodes has been the chair of Lincoln Cathedral’s audit committee since 2018. He has a longstanding interest in safeguarding and promoting opportunities for young people. A police officer for 31 years, Neil was Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police until February 2017. His background includes significant change management within the criminal justice sector.  For several years he was a non-executive board member of an NHS Trust, and is currently a board member of the Disclosure and Barring Service and was appointed as DBS board deputy chairman in April 2023.

Since 2023 he has also been chair of Lincoln Community Larder, a volunteer foodbank helping to relieve food poverty across the city. A long-time resident of the city, Neil is married with three adult children, and away from work enjoys playing golf poorly and walking.

The Very Revd Dr Simon Jones, Dean of Lincoln said, “I’m delighted to welcome Hilary, Martin, Amy, Andrew and Neil to Chapter.  They bring a wealth of experience and expertise in a number of different areas.  Good governance is essential for the proper running of the cathedral, as for any charity.  I’m grateful to them all for their willingness to serve, and would also like to thank Simon Parkes for that all he has contributed to Chapter over the past five years.”