Meet the Trustees
Revd Guy Donegan-Cross
Guy Donegan-Cross is Director of Learning For Discipleship and Mission in the Diocese of Birmingham and before that was Vicar of St Mark’s Harrogate.
Guy is now Chair of Simeon’s Trustees and a trustee for the Midlands
He’s lived in China, has a teaching background, and has ministered in Bristol, Swindon, Teesside, and Yorkshire. He now lives in multicultural East Birmingham, where his wife is a vicar of three urban parishes. He hopes that Simeon’s can offer encouragement, support and Spirit-led imagination to the Church of England in responding to the challenges and opportunities of a changing missional landscape. He likes walking his Norfolk Terrier, and surprisingly got into jazz during lockdown.
Revd canon helen edwards
Helen has been vicar at Christ Church Norris Green in Liverpool since 2005. The congregation meet in a local school and have renovated the old vicarage which is used as a Church Community Centre. Helen is as a BAP (Bishops' Advisory Panel for selection for ordination training) Advisor.
Prior to ordination Helen taught in a primary school in Hull, returning to her home city of Liverpool to take up her current post. Helen is married to Andrew who serves as the Bishop of Liverpool’s Chaplain for Ecumenism (SSM).
Helen is Trustee for the North West.
revd nikki eastwood
Nikki has been Vicar of St Mary’s Church, Upton, Merseyside since 2018. Previously she was Associate Vicar there. Before Nikki was ordained, she worked in the not for profit sector helping charities and individuals raise funds, and helping a wide range of people to give their money away.
Nikki’s married to Mike who works in Liverpool Diocese. They go backwards and forwards on the M62, M6 and M1 to see three children and their families. They all follow the progress of white and red ball cricket whenever there’s time.
Nikki is a Trustee for the North West.
revd heather atkinson
Heather is one of our London and SE Trustees.
A former Drama and English teacher, Heather worked with her husband, Adam, to plant and revitalise at St Peter's Bethnal Green and then,
after a period working as a school chaplain and at St Michael's London Fields, has now succeeded him as vicar. The church has a 'cross tradition', holding equally important services within the Modern Catholic tradition and the Charismatic Evangelical tradition and emphasising outward-facing mission, discipleship and worship.
Heather helps run an annual East London Healing Prayer School, is a trustee of three local charities and serves as an Assistant Area
Director of Ordinands. She and Adam, who now works with the Diocese of London senior team, have three adult children and a dog who considers herself both family and a member of staff.
The Ven Kevin Roberts
Kevin retired in 2021 as the Director of ReSource for Anglican Renewal Ministries, a national ministry with a calling ‘to enable little, local and ordinary churches to engage with the Holy Spirit for renewal, discipleship and mission’. Before this Kevin was Archdeacon of Carlisle and a residentiary Canon of Carlisle Cathedral. Kevin was Curate in Beverley, then Reading and was for 18 years the Vicar of Meole Brace, Shrewsbury. He has returned to live in Shrewsbury in retirement.
Kevin is married to Anne, whose ordained ministry has been mostly in school and hospital chaplaincy, and they have three children and seven grandchildren, living in the UK and Thailand. When not spending time with family and looking after a live-in grandson doing his A Levels, Kevin enjoys reading, photography, and indulging his passion, some would say obsession, with Middlesbrough football club.
Kevin is one of the trustees for the Midlands.
Revd Jema Ball
Jema is one of our trustees for the South West, having joined the Simeon's Trust at the end of 2021.
Since 2019 Jema has been the Vicar of St Mary's Stoke Bishop in Bristol Diocese, and she also has a wider role within a 'Mission Area' of churches across the north west part of the city. She is married to Jonno and they have two children (who are 11 and 8 at the time of writing). Since training at Trinity College Bristol and being ordained in 2012, Jema and her family have been on a little tour of the Midlands, serving a curacy in a group of semi-rural parishes in Leicestershire, and then as an Associate Vicar in a market town benefice in near to Peterborough.
Jema is passionate about helping people come to know and follow Jesus, in particular children, young people and families. Her current role involves substantial input into the local C of E primary school, which she thoroughly enjoys, as well as supporting a large team of ministers locally - another thing she loves to do!
Hobbies include crochet, cooking, reading, walking and camping. She often finds herself feeling jealous of their family cat who lives a decadently sedate life!
The Revd Dave HO Young
Dave was appointed a Trustee for the Yorkshire Area in 2022
Dave has been Team Vicar of St Barnabas’ Alwoodley and St Paul’s, Shadwell in North Leeds since January 2014. He is also a Bishop’ Adviser for the Shared Discernment Process and has recently stepped down as an Assistant Director of Ordinands in the Diocese of Leeds. Previously he was curate at Christ Church, Upper Armley and he trained for ordination at Cranmer Hall in Durham.
As one of the few Chinese heritage clergy in the Church of England (his father is from Hong Kong), Dave is involved with the Teahouse network, which is a collective of Chinese heritage clergy in the Church of England (https://theteahouse.org). Born and brought up in Shropshire, Dave studied history at Leeds University and has a love for all things historical and a deepening fascination with Chinese history and culture.
He is married to Jo and they have two children. In his spare time you either find him reading or gardening.
The Revd Tom LOH
Tom is one of our London and SE Trustees. He is Priest in Charge of St Michael and All Angles, Westcliff on Sea, where he’s been in post since 2014.
Tom became a Christian as a student in London and soon found himself working at a large Anglican Church with students, where he also met his wife Claire. Tom has three children, and enjoys days off walking down the seaside, watching films as a family, and hanging out with friends.
Tom is passionate about Bible teaching, church growth, church planting, and seeing new people come to know Jesus.
The Revd Richard Wilson
Richard was appointed as a Trustee for the SE in March 2023.
He has been Vicar of St Mary’s Reigate since 2018. Previously he was Rector the Marlbrook Team and St Michael’s in Twerton, Bath when he was also Area Dean of Bath. He served his curacy at St Michael’s and St Stephen’s in Southfields, London.
He has a passion for whole-life discipleship and seeing the church grow through disciple making in every sphere of life.
He is married to Tory and they have two grown up children and an Airedale Terrier called Ezra.
The Revd Nick Williams
Nick was appointed as a Trustee for the South in November 2023.
He has been Vicar of Christ Church Guildford since 2011 and was Area Dean of Guildford deanery from 2017-2023. Before ordination, Nick was a youth worker in Finchley and an Immigration Officer in Dover. After a curacy in Rochester diocese, he served as an Associate Minister in Farnborough and as an Incumbent in Tongham (both in Guildford diocese).
Nick has a particular passion for the care of clergy, and for helping churches grow in confidence in their ministry and mission.
Nick is married to Anna (a GP), has three teenage children & one black Labrador. He is an avid sports fan, playing hockey for Guildford Hockey Club and squash, and is a lifelong Oxford United supporter.
The ven hugh mccurdy
Hugh was appointed as Trustee for East Anglia in March 2023.
Hugh was Archdeacon of Huntingdon and Wisbech in Ely Diocese. Before becoming archdeacon, he was Vicar of Histon and Impington (just outside Cambridge) and served two curacies in Guildford before moving East.
Hugh is married to Ruth and they have three children and three grandchildren.
He is a passionate advocate of Church Growth and on mentoring young leaders.
EXecutive Officer - Canon Mark Payne
Mark became the Executive Officer of the Simeon’s Trustees in August 2024.
Prior to this he served in a number of parishes in Sussex, most recently as Rector of St Pancras Chichester - a Simeon’s Church. Mark’s curacy was at St Margaret’s Angmering, after that he became Chichester Diocesan Evangelist and later the vicar of St Augustine’s Scaynes Hill. He has travelled widely and was World Mission Officer for Chichester Diocese for six years - spending a good deal of time building links with Anglican Dioceses in West and East Africa.
Having grown up in Herefordshire, he has now returned to be closer to elderly relatives.