First female head of veterans home to retire

A former Army officer who became the first woman to take charge of an historical hospital is to retire.

Dr Heidi Meyer was named as the master - or leader - of the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick in 2016 and oversaw a major restoration project that ended last year.

The hospital was founded in the 16th Century to treat soldiers wounded in war and is still home to 12 veterans, known as the Brethren.

"When I arrived it was apparent that without a thriving heritage business to fund the almshouse charity, it would mean the Brethren might not have a home. In 10 years, I created a viable heritage site to keep the charity running," she said.

Before becoming the first woman to be named Master of the Brethren at the Lord Leycester, Meyer served in the Army for six years.

After leaving the military, she worked in Afghanistan and Turkey before arriving in Warwick.

She started the project to restore the collection of buildings as a tourist attraction, to generate income to keep the hospital as a home to future military veterans.

Work included installing underfloor heating and making the site more accessible for visitors.

The current patron of the hospital, Lord De L'Isle, is a descendant of the Leycester's founder, Robert Dudley.

He said of Meyer: "She has steered the hospital with resourcefulness, versatility and perseverance."

Her replacement will be another former Army officer, Lieutenant Colonel Daren Bowyer, who was previously a director of the Gurkha Museum in Winchester

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