Trustees
Trustees and Management
The management and development of MKBT is overseen by a group of Trustees. They work closely with the Team Leader, to determine policy and priorities for the Trust’s work. Trustees are also involved in one or more of the sub-groups, which, with the help of volunteers, work to achieve our aims. We have a Personnel group, Ministry Development group, a Promotion and Events group and a Finance group.
Church leaders and lay people serve as Trustees. All have a burden for the children and young people growing up in this ‘city’, and a vision to see God honoured in Milton Keynes both now and in the future. We are non-denominational and inclusive, drawing support from a wide range of the churches and making our activities known to all.
Meet the Trustees.
Chris Holmwood (Chair)
Trustee and Chair since January 2007, Chris is Deputy Head at Shenley Brook End Secondary School, Milton Keynes. Chris is a member of the Trust’s Strategy and Administration Sub-groups. An important part of his role is to share Bridgebuilder’s vision with churches and schools and if you have heard any of his jokes, you will wonder why any of them ever ask him back!
Chris is a member of Newport Pagnell Baptist Church where he has been very involved in the youth work over the last 15 years. Chris is married to Ruth who is an Assistant Headteacher in another secondary school in Milton Keynes. They have two teenage children.
Chris has seen both professionally and personally the powerful role which Bridgebuilder has with young people and this is one of the reasons why he became a trustee in the first place.
Lesley Blight
Lesley has long had a heart for schools work, having taught for 14 years before spending five years as a Scripture Union schools worker. She was first involved with Bridgebuilder way back, when she found herself helping in the set up and with interviews for the first worker, in her role as Head of Scripture Union’s Schools Ministry. At that time she lived in Tiptree (the jam place!) in Essex but moved to MK when Scripture Union relocated. Lesley retired in 2008 after 12 years as Field Director – so now she’s enjoying having time with Bridgebuilder.
Lesley is the administrator for the X:site project which started in MK in 2009, and serves on the Trustees’ Strategy Sub-group.
Jane Castle
Jane became a Trustee in January 2010, and supports all the volunteers in her role as the Volunteer Trustee (within the Ministry Support Sub-group) – meeting, supporting and encouraging all the volunteers whether they are working within the primary, secondary or office teams and working closely with the Team Leaders on this.
Jane is an authorised Methodist Preacher and a Licensed Preacher in Milton Keynes and beyond. She is well known for leading services where all ages worship together.
Jane has a passion for creativity and a pastoral nature. Combined with her involvement in Bridgebuilder, there is a natural relationship which provides support and encouragement for all the volunteer led activities that take place.
Jane works as a Voluntary Schools Worker in several of the local first schools through sketchboarding assemblies – a means of communication to which children respond eagerly. They love to see the picture and words emerging in front of them highlighting the message and moral of the story. It is very encouraging to hear the questions and responses from the children.
Jane has 20 years of teaching experience, and this has enabled her to share the Christian faith and values through creative and vibrant ways. Visiting a school each half term, and especially linking in with the major Christian festivals, gives continuity to the relationship she has with them.
Trevor Crowter
Trevor has carried out much of the financial work for Bridgebuilder for the last several years and became a trustee in 2011. He looks forward to contributing to Bridgebuilder’s mission in the future.
Trevor retired early from a major accounting practice, where he was an actuary. As well as his work for Bridgebuilder he helps two other local charities with management and financial matters. He is married to Anne and has two adult daughters.
Stephen Dunham
Stephen joined Bridgebuilder as a Trustee and Secretary in January 2008. He is married to Kathryn and they attend New Life Community Church in Leighton Buzzard, where they help to lead the Youth Connect group (12s-18s). Both have been passionate supporters of Bridgebuilder for several years. Stephen particularly enjoys the fact that the Trust never stops changing, and finding better and more effective ways to reach the young people of Milton Keynes.
Stephen is financial controller for an NHS hospital in London by day, and co-chair of the London & South East group of the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR) in any spare time he has left.
Rev. Beverley Hollins
Beverley has been involved in working with children and young adults of all ages for as long as she can remember! Her current role as Deanery Development Facilitator for the Newport Deanery (the country area northeast ofMilton Keynes) includes opportunities to invent new ways of working with children and young people in the area, and she enjoys involvement with Spirit Level clubs at local schools.
Beverley and her husband Paul believe passionately that every child is as important to God as their own two daughters are to them, and so it has to be a priority to ensure that children and young people get to hear about God’s love for them. She is delighted to be one of the Bridgebuilder Trustees and to be involved with Ministry Support where that same passion is shared and worked out.
Angela Miller
As a member of the Scripture Union and Milton Keynes Churches Youth Commission Groups which had the original vision for a schools work trust inMilton Keynes, Angela has been a Bridgebuilder trustee since 1991 and was Chair for the first twelve years of the Trust’s life. Currently serving on the Strategy, Ministry Support and Events sub-groups she is committed to the Trust’s vision for educating children and young people in Christian faith and values and to the support of Bridgebuilder’s staff and volunteers. Twenty years on, her enthusiasm for Bridgebuilder continues to grow as the work goes on expanding into new schools and to new generations of school children.
David Ormerod
David has been resident in Milton Keynes since 1984 and a Bridgebuilder Trustee since 1998. He got involved with Bridgebuilder because he is passionate about communicating the good news of the Christian faith to young people. David believes that, although churches, youth groups etc all have a vital part to play, schools ministry is the most effective way to reach the majority who have little idea of who Jesus is, and what He can mean to them.
At Bridgebuilder, David has had a variety of roles including finance and latterly supporter development. David says it has been thrilling to see how God has worked through the ministry of Bridgebuilder over the past twelve years and he looks forward to seeing what God will do in the future!
David is married to Alison and they have a son and twin daughters.
Our links with Scripture Union
The Bridgebuilder Trust is an independent schools ministry Trust financed by the churches in Milton Keynes and individual Christians. We have ‘associate status’ with Scripture Union, benefiting as a Trust from their advice, support and wisdom on legal and employment issues, as well as educational matters. Scripture Union also run training courses for schools workers and provide other training/professional development opportunities for the workers in the Associate Bodies.