History
Background to Bridgebuilder Trust
The vision for a full-time schools’ worker in MK was conceived in the late 1980s in the minds of members of the local Scripture Union Action Group and the Youth Commission of Milton Keynes Christian Council. Representatives of both groups come together to work towards making the vision a reality. Two years later, in 1991, the Milton Keynes Bridgebuilder Trust was approved by the Charity Commissioners and, thanks to the prayerful and financial support of local churches and individual Christians, Tim Cutting was appointed full-time Secondary Schools Worker in April 1993.
Since that time the Trust’s work and ministry has developed and grown. Tim consistently focused in the secondary schools and provided regular input. In late November 2006, Tim moved on from the Bridgebuilder Trust.
During 2001, in a joint initiative with Scripture Union, Kate Stevely was appointed (part-time) as Primary Schools Worker. She went to 4 days a week in 2004, but left the Trust in December 2005 after the birth of her first child.
In 2002 Matt Jarvis was appointed as Key Stage 3 Schools Worker and worked for 3 years before moving on to a new job in December 2005.
In 2004, Gill Bull Mott was appointed as Office Manager & Projects Administrator, taking over from Lyn East, who had been in that role since 1999.
During 2005/06 we were able to appoint Rachel Hatto on a one-year contract as a part-time transition worker, offering an initiative called ‘Going & Growing’ for children moving up from primary to secondary school.
In February 2006 Cathy Brunton-Spall and Katy Nenadovic were appointed as full-time primary schools workers then in 2008, Cathy moved on to start a family and Katy got married and left Bridgebuilder.
In June 2007, Rosie Harriott became the Team Leader and Secondary Schools Worker and, during August 2008, Rachel Foster joined the team as Primary Schools Worker.
In September 2008, Tony McGinley joined the Trust for his gap year, and continued from September 2009 as a Student Schools & Youth Worker (with Bridgebuilder as the placement for a three year degree course through CYM – Centre for Youth Ministry), and also in September 2009, Lex Bradley came on board as a Student Schools & Youth Worker with Bridgebuilder as her placement for a similar three year degree course through CYM.
In September 2011, Rosie returned from maternity leave to a four day week, and Bridgebuilder underwent some internal restructuring so as to prepare itself for future growth seeking to meet the increasing demand for Christian schools work in Milton Keynes.
The staff team is now as follows: Rosie is Secondary Team Leader and Rachel is Primary Team Leader – they have equal status alongside Gill who continues as Office Manager and Projects Administrator. Lex and Tony are in their final year as Student Schools & Youth Workers (based in the secondary arena). Rachel works closely with all primary volunteers, and Rosie oversees Lex and Tony and works closely with secondary volunteers. Gill continues to work closely with the office volunteers.
Over recent years several projects have become a regular part of the Bridgebuilder ministry in schools. Kate Stevely introduced the highly successful Christmas & Easter Cracked primary projects, which involve support from local churches. Biblos and JesusQuest are Voluntary Schools Worker led projects within the primary arena.
Tim Cutting developed the M.O.U.S.E. (Moving On Up to Secondary Education) Team project where each year we have a small team of Post GCSE/A level students who spend a week with us in late June learning to deliver a transition programme to Year 6 pupils, preparing them for secondary education. The team spends two weeks in July delivering this to Year 6s in MK. M.O.U.S.E. has become highly respected and increasingly popular amongst almost all of our primary schools.
We have an office in the Denbigh West area of Milton Keynes, which provides an excellent resource for the schools workers, with support provided by the Office Manager and Projects Administrator, Gill Bull Mott, with the help of a team of volunteers.
The Trust is extremely well supported by local churches and individual Christians who are willing to give their time both practically and prayerfully, and invest their money into the work which we have been called to do.