Our Trustees

Trustees of the Othona Charity

The following provides a brief background of our Trustees:

Steve Barnes
( Link Trustee since 2020 )

Steve grew up in Grays, Essex, and began his career in civil engineering, with four years spent in South Africa. Sensing a call, rather push, into church ministry in 1979 he walked into a collection of sheds behind the trees off the sea wall in Bradwell and entranced by an amazing hall with log stove, shiny polished floor and shelves loaded with books he discovered Othona. “What is this place? I’ve found heaven!”

It was five years later, while a curate in Chadwell Heath, that he next visited, in response to an advert in the Chelmsford diocesan newspaper. It was a lifesaver finding people open-minded enough to explore and question orthodox faith, and he’s been a member ever since. In the meantime Steve has been deanery youth chaplain in Barking and Degenham, team vicar in Crawley, Sussex, then, for 19 years, hospice chaplain in Milton Keynes until ‘retirement’ six years ago.

Steve is married to Pauline, continues to live in Milton Keynes, keeping an allotment under control, lends a hand in conducting church services, helps with winter night shelters and pilots a tandem with a partially sighted gent with special needs.  “It is a privilege to still be associated with such a ‘motley’ crowd which is the Othona Community.”

Warren Douglas
( Link Trustee since 2021 )
Warren’s day-to-day life is spent as a practising Commercial Property Solicitor in Devon.  He has been a regular visitor to Othona since 2010 having been introduced to Othona by his then partner, now wife, Jane who herself has a longer connection with both Othona in Dorset and Bradwell both as a visitor and host of media weeks.  Warren’s stepdaughter Eleanor and her husband Tom were formerly joint caterers at OWD and both Tom and my stepson George have hosted many events at Othona.

Warren lives in Plymouth with his wife Jane and their cats Gallahad and Link, who both have their own links to the Othona West Dorset Community.  His outside interests include cycling, philosophy, classic cars (keeping his MG going) and he is a member of the Exeter 41 Club as an ex Round Tabler. Through his Trustee role he’s become acquainted with the Bradwell operation and enjoys helping the Othona community on its continuing journey.

Dan Dutfield
( Trustee since 2021 )
Dan has worked in safety and compliance throughout his career and brings that experience to support the Othona Community at both centres.   He spent 15 years working in London as an Environmental Health Officer, dealing with complaints about poor quality housing, noise, pollution, licensing, food safety and workplace standards.  He then spent a decade in the health and safety team at Westminster City Council providing guidance to businesses on how to comply with the law, as well as taking enforcement action against those companies who failed to protect people.  Since 2014 Dan has worked in the hospitality industry.  Most recently he was heavily involved in giving advice about COVID-19 restrictions and how sites could reopen safely.

Dan lives in Woking with his wife and two children.  He is a reservist at HMS President working in the logistics branch and enjoys running (time allowing) as well as cooking and baking for the family.

Mark Macdonald
( Trustee and Board Secretary since 2021 )
Mark is a retired science teacher and has been a Head of Science and Assistant Headteacher in various large secondary schools.  He has also served as a school governor at three different schools.  Mark continues to provide supply teaching now in the Cambridge area. He is living in Great Cambourne. Brought up in Leeds as a Catholic, his faith has moved to the free churches, URC, and Methodists, and he now embraces the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Cambridge.  Mark went to university in London, at Kings College and also Keele University. He is a Leeds United fan.  He first visited Othona, Essex, several times when his three children were younger. They’re now all grown, but his commitment to Othona continues, and he serves as board secretary for the charity.

Clare Gough
( Trustee and Chair since 2018 )
Having recently retired as a medical doctor and consultant histopathologist at Salisbury District Hospital Clare was appointed as a trustee of the Othona Community in February 2018 becoming Chair of the Board in September 2018. Clare first visited Othona West Dorset in her early fifties enjoying the poetry weekends, quiet weeks, introduction to the Enneagram and walking weeks.  It was a great place to recover and recharge – an easy and meaningful place to be.  “It has been a great privilege to bring what I had learned from hospital management to The Othona Community”

Clare lives in Salisbury and attends St Thomas Church, and describes herself as Christian, theologically liberal, a traditional Anglican and temperamentally a socially active contemplative. Othona’s importance to Clare is its embodiment of her top values; radical inclusion, freedom to explore and express her faith and spirituality, sharing the common tasks of life, respect and care for the environment, exercising the muscles of faith, hope and love together.

Michael Hunt
( Treasurer and Trustee since 2021 )
Michael has had a link to Othona since the late 1980’s when his then fiancé and soon to be wife, shared a house with an Othona regular regaling tales of her visits and experiences. A few years later Othona West Dorset became a regular feature of school holidays with the children. Visits have not been as frequent in recent years due to changed circumstances, including the sudden death of his wife in 2003, but Michael continued to be a member keeping in touch with developments.  He joined the board of trustees in 2021.

Michael is an accountant by profession and an ordained priest in the Church of England. His main day job is as College Accountant of Ripon College Cuddesdon, an Anglican Theological College, where he has worked for the last 8 years.  Michael lives in Buckinghamshire with Margaret, together with whom they have six children most of whom have ‘flown the nest’. Relaxation is usually a good walk in the Chilterns with the dog, meeting up with family or pottering in the garden.

Chris Jones
( Trustee since 2022 )
Chris Jones first visited Othona Bradwell in the Summer of 1989 and throughout the intervening decades, Othona has been one of the cornerstones of his life with countless holidays and working weekends, periods as a member of the core team, meeting my wife Cathrin and celebrating their wedding, watching their kids thrive and grow in the freedom and care of community, serving on the centre committee and most recently as a link trustee.  The daily rhythm of life at Othona never fails to bring with it a deep sense of peace, foster authentic relationships and provide the context for those intimate conversations through which we hear the voice of God.

Chris works as a mechanical engineer specialising in the field of engineering analysis and simulations in the field of nuclear fusion. Over the last decade and a half, he has moved into line management and is currently lead to a group of some 30 engineering analysts and structural engineers.  Chris regularly serves both the community and my home church in this way. “I am profoundly aware of the potential of music to facilitate and enrich our spiritual life and have been involved in leading worship since learning to play the guitar in my early 20s”.

Jane Pearse
( Trustee since 2021 )
Jane first visited the Community in 2006 when she went to Bradwell for the Pilgrimage weekend.  Her connection to Othona goes back further through family connections to the Othona West Dorset site.  Together with her partner Catherine, Jane leads quiet weeks at both the Bradwell and West Dorset centres.  “The sense of fellowship & spirituality combined with the beauty of the natural environment immediately appealed to me & I have been drawn back many times”.

Jane lives in Felixstowe and is qualified as a solicitor & practising in Ipswich before adopting 2 lovely children.  In 2009 she was ordained as a minister in the Church of England and is now retired so have a little more time to encourage my own & others’ Christian spirituality particularly through offering retreats & quiet days.  Jane loves gig rowing, sea swimming, walking, poetry & involvement in the local community.  Her voluntary experiences include being on the village parish council, a housing association board & twice being a school governor.

Mark Ringrose
( Link Trustee since 2024 )
Mark first became aware of Othona through his wife Ulrike, who in the early 1990s’ visited Othona on a cycle trip from Hamburg organised through one of Othona’s German links, Martin Riemer.  It wasn’t until 2005 this time cycling a far shorter route from Witham, Essex, that Mark first visited Othona in Bradwell and since then it’s become an ever greater feature of his life either for the working weekends or during the summer or autumn with his family.

Mark is originally from the UK but currently lives in Germany.  Formerly a senior manager at KPMG Corporate Finance until 2014, he now runs his own financial modelling business.  Mark is married with three children, and spends his free time either in his allotment, bird watching, wood working or helping out with the local church community.  An ever growing connection to Othona and its christian principles, inclusiveness, working together, and simple open prayer saw him join the board of Trustees in February 2024.

Rachel Tocknell
( Trustee since 2022 )
Rachel first visited Othona West Dorset with her family in 2008 and has maintained a regular connection to the community ever since, attending a range of fantastic events over the years.  A particular highlight was being part of the old art room demolition team during a gloriously sunny week in July 2019 – and then returning to see the opening of the beautiful Four Seasons Studio nearly two years later!  For Rachel – as for many – Othona is a very special place and she is thrilled to be able to support the community by joining the team as a Trustee.

Rachel is currently a civil servant, having previously worked in software.  Outside of work she enjoys ‘making things’: previous enterprises have included clothing, furniture and printmaking. She lives in London with her husband and enjoys getting out of the city when possible, with particular favourites including the Scottish highlands, Shropshire and of course the Dorset coast.

Chris Wilson
(To be updated)
Chris is great but hasn’t provided a bio yet!