Meet Our Trustees
Stephen is a retired Secondary School Headteacher. He lives in Lydney, with his wife Jackie. He has two children and one granddaughter.
He is Churchwarden at St Mary’s Church in Lydney, where he has just taken on the role of Parish Safeguarding Officer also.
Stephen joined the Board of Trustees in 2016, and has been Chair of Trustees since 2017.
Barry is a fully qualified Community Youth Worker and has worked in both the voluntary and statutory sector. More recently he founded the Caleb’s Mountain project, which supports children and young people in the Forest of Dean by working with their families and educational establishments. He believes informal and holistic education can impact children and young people more significantly than other approaches, which is why he loves The Christian Adventure Centre at Viney Hill.
Barry lives with Suzi and his two children in the forest, in a house, in Bream.
Simon has been a Trustee of the Adventure Centre since it became an independent charitable trust in 2002. His initial involvement started in 1997 when he was asked to arrange some essential improvement works on the Cross Meadow campsite building. After joining the then management committee, he helped shape the way the trust was set up and has evolved since.
As a Chartered Building Surveyor Simon brings a wealth of design and construction based knowledge and takes a lead on facilities and site development.
He believes that giving young people the chance to experience the joy and challenges that outdoor activities can bring, they will be stronger people.
Kate has been involved in the Centre for around 11 years, first as a trustee, then on staff for four years, and recently back on the trustees board. Kate has worked in community development and supported Christian outreach for many years. She has mainly worked with children and young people or supporting those that lead community ministries.
Now retired, Mike is an experienced trainer, mentor and change manager. He has worked in executive positions in the Aerospace Industry, as Director and Owner of a small management consultancy company and as a church based community worker. He and his wife Kate live within shouting distance of the centre and he has been a trustee since 2010.
Roland has been a Trustee at Viney Hill since 2018 and has recently started overseeing the support and maintenance of the Centre’s website.
He has had a career in corporate IT delivery and is currently an Information Security Lead at a major utilities company.
Roland has been actively involved in the Scout Association for many years and understands the benefits that outdoor and adventurous activities can bring to the physical and mental development of young people.
Benjamin is the Diocesan Secretary for Gloucester. He is a Chartered Accountant and has spent much of his working life working for Christian Aid (Head of Finance) and the Church of England. Prior to that he worked in takeovers for KPMG Canary Wharf. He lives in Fairford with his wife Melanie and their four children, all of whom love Viney Hill.
I joined the Board of Trustees in 2017, however I have been involved in assisting with some maintenance projects and Health and Safety issues in the Centre since 2007.
I joined the army as a young soldier in 1964 and remained as a serving soldier for the next 34 years. During this time I served in countries throughout the world , however I would say that the six years I spent teaching young recruits was probably one of the best and rewarding times of my service.
On my retirement from the armyI was employed as the Administrative Manager of the Blue Cross Animal Hospitals where I remained for 10 years before retiring altogether
I am married to Chris and have two sons , Christopher and Stephen.
Hilary is the Archdeacon of Gloucester and a Residentiary Canon of Gloucester Cathedral and is delighted to serve as a trustee for Viney Hill. Before moving to the Diocese of Gloucester in 2019 she was a parish priest in the Diocese of Exeter, and also involved in ministry training. Prior to ordination her background was in primary education.
Sam is the Vicar of Parkend and Viney Hill and has been a trustee since 2019. He is originally from Essex and worked in the Department of the Environment before getting ordained. After serving his curacy in the East End of London he became Rector of a large multi-parish benefice on the Essex coast for 15 years, close to where he grew up. He enjoys sailing, motorbikes, watching football and spending time with his children.
