Staff
Meet our lovely team who are on hand to help with any queries you might have…
Revd Claire Maxim
Chief Executive Officer
clairem@germinate.net
024 7685 3060
Revd Mark Betson
National Rural Officer for the Church of England
mark.betson@churchofengland.org
024 7685 3073
Revd Elizabeth Clark
National Rural Officer for the Methodist and United Reformed Churches
elizabethc@germinate.net
024 7685 3081
Louise Davis
Project & Communications Officer
louised@germinate.net
024 7685 3068
Alison Selwood
Office Manager
alisons@germinate.net
024 7685 3060
Deb Soesan
Administrator
debs@germinate.net
024 7685 3066
Susie Carr
Development Officer
susiec@germinate.net
024 7685 3071
John Bennett
Computers for Rural People
johnb@germinate.net
024 7685 3066
Trustees
Wise, experienced and supportive people with legal responsibility for guiding and overseeing our work.
Howard Petch CBE
Chair
Formerly Principal Bishop Burton College, Chief Executive of Landex and Vice Chair of FCN
Revd Dr Robert Barlow
After many years working in wide a variety of rural church settings, he is now putting this experience to good use as Interim Team Rector of Dudley, a place he describes as having much to learn from rural churches.
George Dunn
Currently Chief Executive of the Tenant Farmers Association of England and Wales and a member of the leadership team of All Nations Christian Centre, an Elim Pentecostal Church in Reading, Berkshire.
Revd Les Hann
Methodist minister in Cumbria and rural officer for the Cumbrian Methodist District. He is the appointed representative for the Methodist and United Reformed Church.
Revd Caroline Hewlett
Vicar of Swaledale with Arkengarthdale, involved in Rural Ministry Courses and the Church On Show stand at the Great Yorkshire show.
Revd Ruth Newton
Ruth Newton is Parish Priest in North Yorkshire. She is a trustee on behalf of the General Synod.
John Plumb
Farmers in North Warwickshire, welcoming school groups, and is particularly keen to encourage habitats for wildlife and to demonstrate how farming and managing the environment for biodiversity go hand in hand.
Phil Simpson
Professionally qualified Youth Worker based in Cherry Burton, East Yorkshire. Also involved with Beverley Schools Christian Trust delivering one to one support to individual students.
Fr Rob Taylerson
A parish priest in the Roman Catholic Church in North Staffs Deanery, Archdiocese of Birmingham; earlier in his career actively involved in agricultural education.
Rob Walrond
Rob is an organic farmer in the heart of Somerset. He also works as the Rural Life Adviser for the Diocese of Bath and Wells and is involved in Agricultural Chaplaincy with the Farming Community Network (FCN) and North Somerset Agricultural Society.