President
Cressida Pryor
Cressida has been a Unitarian for several years, and has discovered she is descended from the Radical Dissenter Henry Solly and the MP William Smith, so feels the denomination is in her blood! She attends and is Secretary to Bayshill Church in Cheltenham, where Solly was minister. Her professional background is in the therapies, and latterly in adult mental health; with a special interest in working with new parents and their babies. She is self-employed, a new grandmother, a Morris dancer, and sings, if given half a chance! She is an Interfaith minister, and is currently studying the Intermediate Step of the Worship Studies Course.
Vice President
David Taylor
I have been interested in spirituality for most of my life, with an active involvement with Buddhism, Paganism and the Quakers.
I have been involved with Unitarianism since the late 1990’s and since 2013 have been a regular member at Stourbridge Unitarian Chapel. I am a professional graphic designer.
The Immediate Past President
Debra Burbery
Debra was born in Portsmouth but she spent her teenage years in North Yorkshire and has only recently ‘fallen into’ Unitarianism.
In her professional life she was a Biology and Chemistry teacher in state and private secondary schools. Since wandering into the building on an open morning, she has been regularly attending Shrewsbury Unitarian Church and has completed the Introductory Worship Studies Course held at Kingswood Church in 2016.
The Secretary
Rev. Sue Woolley – BA., M.Phil
Sue is a fifth generation Unitarian. She is minister of the Banbury Unitarian Fellowship, and District Minister and Secretary of the Midland Unitarian Association, and Secretary of the Unitarian Peace Fellowship. She is also Worship Studies Course Tutor and Administrator.
The Treasurer
Kieren Mardle-Moss
Kieren first came across Unitarianism when developing materials for teaching – as a trained R.E. teacher.
Since 2016, He has been involved in the Unitarian Youth Programme – supporting 11 to 16-year-olds in their personal and spiritual development.
In more recent times, Kieren has stepped away from teaching and now works full-time in a Financial Services position and puts these skills to good use as, since 2020, he has been Treasurer at the Coventry congregation.
Kieren has led worship at Coventry as well as in neighbouring Districts and is a member of The Meditational Fellowship (TMF) and National Unitarian Fellowship.
Elected Members
Mike Berry
I have been a member of Birmingham (Edgbaston) Unitarians for several years, and currently hold the post of Treasurer.
Jane Couper
Brought up as an Anglican in a family more interested in politics than religion Jane became a Unitarian as a teenager. In her professional life she taught Religious Studies at an academic independent school and from the late 1980s she was an active member of Hale Chapel becoming its Chairman, then President of the Manchester District Association. In 2003 she moved with her husband to Evesham and now attends Oat Street Chapel. Recently she has been involved with “future ministry” and the District Associations Project.
Ann Matthews
Ann first started attending Shrewsbury Unitarian Church about four years ago. She had attended a ‘gong bath’ there which was an interesting experience of both sound and powerful vibrations. She was intrigued to know what sort of a church would host such an event, and was immediately struck by the sense of peace within the building. Following that event she began attending services and received a very warm welcome. She was interested to learn about the history of Unitarianism and the freedom of belief it embraced.
Ann’s background was Church of England, over the years she had attended different churches but never found one in which she felt completely at home, and didn’t enjoy the expectation to conform to a fixed set of beliefs.
Ann is a keen hill walker and gardener and most frequently experiences the divine wonder when outside amongst nature. She has long been a practitioner of yoga and enjoys the contemplative and meditative aspects of the practice. Ann has been participating in the monthly Findhorn meditations and hopes to visit the Findhorn community one day.
She is currently the Treasurer for Shrewsbury Unitarian Church.
David Mearman
David has been a member of Stourbridge Presbyterian (Unitarian) Church since 1966. He succeeded his late father as Organist, continuing a fifty year family tradition, and is the Secretary, and a Trustee. He lives in Stourbridge, Worcestershire.
Diane Rutter
Is Salford born and bred! She spent the first 22 years of her life as a member of Pendleton Unitarians in Salford, then peregrinated via the Church of England and the wilderness back to Unitarianism over a decade ago.
Diane is currently Lay Assistant to Kingswood (and by serendipity Warwick) congregations. A touch typist by trade and a cleric by profession, previous employers include Tootal Fabric, The Sunday Express Sports Desk and the University of Salford.
Chris Thompson
Chris worked in secondary school science education, chemistry and physics. Her becoming a Unitarian in 2002, following a Unitarian funeral, was the ‘coming-home’ that so many others have described. Currently she is a member of Warwick Unitarian congregation and she has benefitted from Unitarian Women’s Group weekends, Hucklow Summer Schools, and more recently the Unitarian Music Society.
Aleks Zglinska
Aleks works with Northampton Unitarians as Community Development Coordinator and takes a particular interest in disability and LGBTQIA+ rights and inclusion and where these intersect the Unitarian faith and congregational life. After a music degree and further training as an education professional in Information Communication Technology, she worked as a trainer. During the early 2010s she took an interest in community development and communications and moved into working with non-profit organisations. She also volunteers as a fundraiser for a hyperlocal community building charity in London. In her spare time she likes to cook (but not wash up) during 2020 she perfected her technique for homemade crumpets.
Representative Member Ministers’ Meeting
Rev. Winnie Gordon
I have been minister of Unitarian New Meeting, Birmingham since 2014. Until recently, I was also Chair and Mentor for the Worship Studies Course.