Mr. Fletcher Banner

Following a career in administration which included roles with oversight of the administrative departments and running of various areas of the King’s School, Canterbury (the cathedral school of Canterbury); working in parliament for a Shadow Minister as chief of staff / script writer / oversight for constituency case work and the running of the offices and sales department for a property investment company, Fletcher then decided to dedicate himself full time to assisting Dean Robert with all areas of his ministry in Canterbury.

This voluntary co-ministerial role, which he had been doing alongside his own career previously, involved fund raising for the cathedral and for many of the other charities with which he was connected – most especially Porchlight homeless charity and Pilgrims Hospices – as well as conducting tours for visitors to Canterbury, expanding the public use of the Deanery, hosting over 20,000 through the house and gardens annually either on visits or for one of the many fund-raising / community-building functions which were organised by Fletcher.  Work with the school involved daily contact with staff and maintaining close links with donors and others connected to King’s, which operates through multiple schools in Kent and in China.  Work for the cathedral involved maintaining close links with many of the departments and a working knowledge of their operations as well as a close relationship with the hundreds of staff and volunteers, whether visits, stained glass, archives, education department, music… and one of the departments with which he worked most was the cathedral lodge, the hotel and conference centre opened by Dean Robert to serve as a facility which would, in part, welcome pilgrims to Canterbury and give them apt hospitality.  During the pandemic Fletcher created a series of nearly 1000 films of daily services and book readings to minister to the flock which became known as the Garden Congregation and for 26 months he was writer, editor, cameraman, director and otherwise for each and every one of these films which have been seen by over 6m people and has been responsible for co-ordinating the extensive correspondence and ministry for the global congregation which grew from the broadcasts.

His personal interests include horticulture and design – which was evident by his restoration of the gardens in Canterbury, both in the Deanery and in the wider Precincts as well as for other gardens around the world and create the Thomas Becket rose with his friend, the late David Austin Senior; conservation and wildlife – which saw him assisting and leading various efforts for the restoration of habitats and release / rehabilitation of injured animals in the local region; history – which is how he was able to enjoy hosting so many tours each week of the cathedral / deanery / other areas in Canterbury as the need arose; music – although not a musician himself, he hosted a series of musical events of different styles through the year; art – which saw his involvement with the installation of various projects including his spectacular glass installation to mark the 100th anniversary of WW1, culminating in a hugely successful symposium with national representatives.

He is also a very keen walker and lover of Spain and Spanish culture with a mother who lives in the country and a Spanish godfather who lives in Santiago, hence Fetcher’s having spent much time in the area when he was growing up.