Board Members

Chair of the South East England Regional Board

Canon Chris Rich

Faith Organisation: Diocese of Guildford, Church of England

Faith: Christian, Church of England

Department for Social Responsibility, Diocesan House, Quarry Street, Guildford, GU1 3XG

Chris.rich@cofeguildford.org.uk

01483 790 324 (P.A. Emma Beswick)

Chris was a founder member of SEEFF in 1998 and represented Faiths on the SE Regional Assembly. This was followed by six years experience in NW England developing positive Inter-Faith responses to the riots in northern towns. The model developed in the NW is now used as a model for other Regions.

Returning to SE England, Chris set about encouraging a consensus to re-launch SEEFF. This has involved gathering Church and Faith leaders, building relationships with central, regional and local government in order to secure resources, and bringing together people of Faiths from across the SE Region. Since the re-launch conference attended by 180 people membership has developed to 1,400.

Chris has been instrumental through DSR (Department for Social Responsibility, Diocese of Guildford) for the development of SEEFF and represents SEEFF on the English Inter-Faith Network, securing funding for the recent consultations with SEEFF members which led to the new structure and the promise of two further years funding. As Chair, Chris will establish the new structure, consolidate resources and build upon the expectations of SEEFF members, especially developing engagement with young people.

Members of the South East England Regional Board

Eastern Sub-Regional Area

Dr Iyadh Daoud

Faith Organisation: Crawley Inter-Faith Network

Faith: Muslim

iyadhdaoud@yahoo.co.uk

Active role in interfaith work from its early “Informal” years, then in the formation of CIFN as an organisation and recruitment of a Development Worker.

As Vice-Chairman of the Management Committee and Chair of the Events Sub-Committee, worked hard together with others, to get CIFN to become a well-known and respected partner with all stakeholders in Crawley.

The engagement and participation of Crawley Mosques and Muslim organisations in CIFN activities and events was a gradual process which I pursued with passion, the success of which was due to being an active voluntary worker serving that community.

As organiser of talks to local schools, I have forged a friendly and strong relationship with all major faith groups in Crawley.
Worked for 30 years as a Chartered Biochemical Engineer, then part time for 10 years with Social Services supporting adults with learning difficulties.
Trustee Crawley Council for Voluntary Services.

I believe that Networking at the regional level is important for supporting individual groups to form stronger links with local and national organisations and to gain from shared experiences, for the benefit of all “Grassroots” members in the region.

Timothy John Miller

58 years old – German wife and 4 grown up children.

Qualified children and families social worker.

Faith - Unificationist (Unification Church of Rev Sun Myung Moon)

Chair of Hastings and District Interfaith Forum.

Trustee of Hastings Voluntary Action.

Member of Steering Group for Sussex Pathways

Vice President Universal Peace Federation Europe

Active in Interfaith since 1990 when involved in a working group to set up an interfaith forum in Manchester.

Jona Eichner

Jona comes from a Jewish background and has 25 years experience of working in the Near and Far East in order to bring people of different faiths together. During this time she became the secretary and treasurer of International and Business and professional women in Singapore and Hong Kong.

On her return she spent the next decade as a foster carer for teenagers and became the founder and Chairperson of East Sussex Foster Care Association. In 2004 she started to study at the Interfaith Seminary and was ordained as an interfaith minister. As an interfaith minister she works as a bereavement counsellor and an interfaith chaplain in Brighton hospital supporting people through their illnesses.

Jona believes that as part of SEEFF she will be able to continue to build harmony and understanding between people of all faiths and none.

Eastern Sub-Regional Area

Representative for the Interests of Young People

ThamesValley Sub-Regional Area

Members of the Regional Board

Bede Gerrard

Faith Organisation: Churches Together in Oxfordshire

Faith: Christian Orthodox

contact@se-faithforum.net

Bede Gerrard, County Ecumenical Officer for Churches Together in Oxfordshire; Chair, Oxford Council of Faiths. A Reader in the Orthodox Church (Thyateira and Great Britain Archdiocese), I am personally involved in minority communities, worshipping with people from Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, Africa, America and India, and attending the Chaplaincy Council of Oxford Brookes University. Working with people of all faiths and none, I sit on the Oxfordshire Partnership Board as Faith Representative.

With a working background in the London Borough of Ealing Social Services Department and Oxford Citizens' Housing Association, I carried out research projects for the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the Personal Social Services Research Unit at the University of Kent in Canterbury.

I work closely with OCVA, OREC, Oxford Indian Union Association and Oxford BEM Pastors' Forum, and am part of a multi-faith planning team for the annual Friendship Walk of Faith. It attracts 400-600 people, from many faith communities, walking together from the Synagogue via a Church to the Central Mosque for a shared meal. Bringing a working knowledge of religious and ethnic diversity, I will act as a supportive voice for minority and mainstream groups, particularly those who are poorly represented in society and its decision-making.'

David Sparrow

Faith Organisation: Art Beyond Belief

contact@se-faithforum.net

David trained in photography, and worked in local journalism before starting his own photographic business, which he ran for thirty years before founding Art Beyond Belief in 2005. He has illustrated many books on automotive design and motoring, and his work has been featured in high profile magazines and journals.

David is the creative lead and project manager for all Art Beyond Belief projects. His first ABB project was the Via Dolorosa, in which a traditional Christian narrative was interpreted by artists of different faiths. He has since managed Faith Junction - a series of interviews between ordinary people of faith, and most recently the Festival of Dialogue, which incorporated discussion forums, a 'borrow-a person' scheme at Slough Library and an interfaith conference. In addition, David also develops and delivers ABB's Art Monitor programme, designed to foster self-confidence and self-determination to vulnerable groups in the areas of domestic violence, mental health, autism and learning disability.

David's other interests include art and music. He is a member of the Wynkin de Worde typographical society, a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and a member of the Thomas Merton Society.

Hugh Boulter

Currently serve as Hon Sec for the Oxford Diocesan Committee for Inter-faith Concerns (ODCIC) having previously been Chair. I have held similar posts with Reading Inter-faith Group. He is a member of the National Diocesan Inter-faith Advisers Group (Anglican) and also of the Christian/ Muslim Contact Group at Lambeth Palace. My background is in teaching - including recently arrived pupils from India and Pakistan - and education administration in Slough and Northamptonshire. Publications include: 'The Spirit in Islam: Theology and Dialogue' (Doctoral Thesis), 'Religious Experience in the Inter-faith Context', 'Pursuing The Friendship of Strangers: Intra-faith Dialogue about Inter-faith Encounter.'

Amrit Kaur Randhawa

Is a 27 year old Sikh currently working in the IT/Telecommunications – High-End Video Conferencing Industry, for a company in London. Skills in the workplace include, Consultation/Incident Reporting/Technical Support/Data Analysis/Customer Service. Her spare time is devoted towards charitable causes. She is a trustee for a women’s charity, named Jeena, based in Slough. She is also also the youth project manager, working on supporting the young women. We look to develop workshops to empower women and act as a support link. Amrit dedicates time to organize events and support the youth at our local Khalsa Primary School in Slough including youth sessions on sports, volunteering, spiritual upliftment, career development, support for social issues creating awareness.

ThamesValley Sub-Regional Area

Representative for the Interests of Young People

Central Sub-Regional Area

Members of the Regional Board

Samir Dimachkie

Faith Organisation: Hants & Dorset Three Faiths Forum

Faith: Muslim

samir.dimachkie@virgin.net

Born in Jeddah to Lebanese parents; a Moslem father and Christian mother. Samir studied Islam and Arab history from an early age and performed Haj. He was brought up to appreciate the common values shared by the Abrahamic faiths and the contributions made by the Arabs to culture and science. Early in his childhood, Samir spoke five languages and remains proficient in Arabic, French and English.

Having completed his education in Lebanon, Samir moved to London in 1972 where he embarked on a career in aviation utilising his multi-lingual and multicultural skills, this culminated in him establishing and managing a corporate travel agency (1980-89) in London. In 2002 Samir gained a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Open University to compliment his BA in Public Administration. In 2006 he moved to Hampshire to pursue his interests in bridging cultural, religious and linguistic gaps. Appointed trustee of Winchester Area Community Action in 2007; a local charity; where he serves on the Sustainability and Finance Sub-committees. In 2007, he delivered the first of many talks on ‘Arab Culture’ to the Institute of Engineering and Technology in London and, other clubs and societies in Hampshire. In 2008 he became the Moslem Co-ordinator and Administrator for the Hants & Dorset Three Faiths Forum and has delivered talks on Islam at a Church Easter Workshop. In 2009, he became Volunteer Co-ordinator for the Furzey Gardens Charitable Trust where he recruits and manages volunteers. Samir is married to Nonnie and enjoys classical music, tennis, horse riding, cooking and debating.

Reverend Andrew Ashdown

Andrew was brought up in Zimbabwe of Missionary parents during the Rhodesian war. After completing his education in England, Andrew spent a while working in banking in the City of London, before going to spend 2 years as a volunteer Teacher at a Christian school in a remote part of Central India. This was a very formative experience of further encounter with other cultures and other faiths. He returned to England to study Theology at King's College, London before training for ordination. Since being ordained in 1990, Andrew has served in parishes in Yorkshire, Surrey and Hampshire, and also worked for a time as the Regional Desk Officer for South Asia, for the Anglican Mission Agency, USPG. Over the years, Andrew has travelled widely throughout Asia, Africa and Europe, some of these journeys including studies on monasticism and inter-faith dialogue.

But throughout the past 20 years, Andrew has had a particular passion for the Middle East and its people, regularly leading groups to the region, and visiting privately. He has led regular visits to Middle East (including Israel/Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt). As a friend of the Hants & Dorset Three Faiths Forum he is fully subscribed to promoting and participating in inter-faith dialogue for the mutual benefit of all, and, through his activities in the Holy Land.

Mohammed Ansar

Originally from Hertfordshire, Mohammed has lived and worked in Hampshire for the last 20 years with a successful professional history including banking, management consultancy and award‐winning Equality & Diversity work with FTSE 100 companies.

Mohammed is Chairman of the Hampshire Independent Equality Forum and a member of the Interfaith Relations Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain. He has played a leading role in the development of a number of voluntary and community organisations including the Muslim Council of Southampton, Hampshire Independent Equality Forum and Southampton Muslim Partnership where he fostered a framework for Muslim community engagement which became a leading model of best practice in the UK.

He is also a member of the Southampton Council of Faiths and Hampshire Interfaith Network. Mohammed is a member of various educational advisory boards including Hampshire County Council’s Children and Young People Select Committee, Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education and Governor Services Review Board; he established the first multifaith chaplaincy at the largest college in the country and still runs a weekly session with his students.

Rabbi Charley Baginsky

Rabbi Charley Baginsky has been involved with Kingston Liberal Synagogue for the past eight years. Beginning as their Head of Education she moved to a full time role as their Rabbi. She graduated from Leo Baeck College in 2008, following a degree in Theology and Religious studies from Kings College London and professional youth work and information education posts both in the UK and Israel.

Charley worked for Kingston Liberal Synagogue for two years, before becoming their full-time rabbi after her ordination. She describes herself as genuinely lucky, being able to combine everything she loves in her work – her faith, working with people and study. Charley has been a SEEFF board member since 2010.

Voluntary and Faith groups do “go the extra mile”, help reach people on the edges of society who are hardest to reach – all this from motives of genuine care for the individual and for the community which are, for the faith groups in particular, inspired by the teachings of their faiths. These values must be heard at Regional level.

David Wrighton

A Methodist lay person who has worked for 15 years for the Churches ecumenically in the South Hampshire area – particularly Southampton and Eastleigh – in the general area of Industrial and Economic Mission. David has been a member of the SEEFF Council and its successors since the organisation’s inception. He attaches enormous importance to the role of the Faith Communities in establishing and maintaining an influential presence in Regional matters and in bringing convictions about the worth of the individual, irrespective of their faith, to Regional matters. His heavy involvements in the Voluntary Sector, locally, at County Level and as the Faith Communities co-opted Member of the RAISE Board. His particular interest is unemployment, worklessness and related economic matters, championing the part the Voluntary Sector in general and Faith Communities in particular play alongside and complementary to “official” provision.

Central Sub-Regional Area

Representative for the Interests of Young People