Our UK Team
This is Us
Toya Anderson
Missional Staffer, Based in Reading
Toya is married to Neil and since we arrived in Reading she has become a Foundations expert, a National Conference stalwart, an exceptional volunteer and a great friend!
Aneta Banas
Movement Member, based in Reading
Aneta’s married to a chef, they have two gorgeous girls and a baby boy and she LOVES bringing order to our lives! (and we love her for that and many other things too!). She’s volunteering as administrator with us 2 days a week, while studying for her degree and looking after her family the rest of her time.
Claire Bankole
National Director, based in Reading
Although British, Claire still has an Australian accent from working with SYC’s parent organisation in Australia for just 3 years. She trained as a medical doctor and between doctoring and youth and community mission, has worked in 8 countries and 5 continents.
Dianne Barnard
Youth Worker, based in Layland and East Preston
Dianne is a methodist lay reader, is part of the Northumbrian Community and loves coming alongside young people.
Tracy Brown
Independant Examiner, Based in Reading
Tracy and her husband Scott are part of our lives and mission in Whitley. Tracy is a proud granma to baby Max and we are very grateful for her work examining our accounts for the last few years.
Ian and Erica Cave
Prayer and Support, based in Wheatley
Erica and her husband Ian were part of the home group that prayed for God to send someone to Wheatley village who would help them with their youth and community outreach; that’s how SYC started in the UK! They have a wonderful family including one gorgeous great granddaughter!
Peter Cuthbert
Movement Member, BASED IN Stafford
Peter is married to Mel and is a Cambridge graduate who spent a year with us as an intern. He is currently doing a PGCE in English. He loves heavy metal, gaming and musicals!
Aaron Dolding
Movement Member and Youth Worker, based in Reading
Aaron is a wonder with the guitar, and we’ve had many a lively, hilarious discussion around the table with our young people and mentors led by him! We’re glad he’ll be around for a bit longer in Reading (but Aaron, don’t forget to go on an adventure somewhere exotic (not too long) and come back and share your stories with us!)
Zsuzsa Gagyor
Bookkeeper, based in Reading
Zsuzsa is married with a gorgeous little girl. As well as being assistant manager at Costa, and studying for her accounting exams, she is taking over the bookkeeping from Akanksha and doing an amazing job!
Reneta Kuttan
Youth Worker based in Reading
Reneta is interning with us in Reading this year from Mumbai via Belfast. She is a bright cookie with two Masters degrees and a crazy love of cats. She keeps us all amused with her random, quirky comments and actions.
Kath McNee
Families Course, Prayer & Support, based in Wheatley
Kath and her husband Steve have been part of the SYC and Fusion story for decades. Kath is particularly passionate about helping families grow strong and healthy. She loves creating memories (her camera is usually close at hand) and is a gifted home maker and interior desiner.
Annemarie Murray
Team Leader, BASED IN Leyland
Annmarie has recently taken on the leadership of the work in Leyland having been part of the team there for many years. Her dream is to re-imagine the shop that we have had on the high street for many years and create a warm, hospitable, creative hub from where she and the team can run craft workshops and families courses amongst other things!
Indy Nottage
Youth and Community Worker, based in Reading
Not as young as he looks, Indy is married with two kids in primary school. He is a talented videographer and writer, gifted youth worker and collaborator and very much likes fine dining!
Vernon & Jenny Orr
MOVEMENT MEMBERS, BASED IN OXFORD
Anika Parker
Youth and Community Worker, based in Reading
Anika trained as a classical musician, is ordained in the Anglican church and has been involved in youth ministry since 1999 in Australia and across Europe. She joined SYC full time in 2012.
Jason Pheifer
Team Leader, based in Witham
Jason has been with the Boys Brigade all his life; he joined us here in the UK in 2016 from the USA. He loves wilderness trekking, camping and canoeing, and is passionate about seeing teenage boys become the men God made them to be.
Akanksha Sikka
Bookkeeper, based in Reading
Akanksha is married with a wonderful son. She came to do our bookkeeping for a year as practice for her accounting exams; she ended up putting off her exams because she wanted to help us, and stayed with us two years!
Andrea Smith
Movement Member, based in Reading
Amy Walsh
Administrator, based in Reading
Amy, a local Whitley resident, has recently graduated with a BA (hons) Philosophy from the University of Bristol. Amy works in our office two afternoons a week and keeps us administratively on track. She has also recently passed her driving test!
Jeannette Wilkinson
Movement Member, BASED IN MANCHESTER
Reach Schools
Schools Work, based in Reading
These guys work very closely with us in the Secondary Schools in Whitley, as such we function very much as one team, praying and planning our programs together, and coordinating our interactions with the schools.Trustees
Leon Collyer
TRUSTEE
Leon Collyer grew up on a small farm in Suffolk and is now the Assistant Vicar in the Whitley Parish. “My greatest achievement in life has been getting away from the family farm and following the call to ministry. I wonder if returning to agriculture with ministry might prove to be an even greater achievement… I do enjoy looking after our rescue chickens and going on adventurous walks with the family!”
Guy Lowe
TRUSTEE
Guy has a beyond-description-wonderful wife who is tolerant of his quirks, and two children who all make him very, very happy. A teacher by day, he loves cooking, playing music (quality not guaranteed), a spot of gardening and DIY, and reading books – particularly anything by Neil Gaiman. One day he aspires to publish a novel (or two) that people love. And that also happens to make him lots of money.
Stephen McNee
Trustee
Steve is married to the lovely Kath and has four kids and two grandkids. “People say I have a crazy sense of ‘existence’. I’m from all over the place! Born in Sydney, Australia. Lived a little bit here and there in Australia… and also in Tasmania (!) Now living in the UK. Working in Europe. Sleeping in my bed here in Wheatley, Oxford … whenever I am not ‘here and there’! I work for a telecommunication company – who also happens to be here and there. Mostly there … thus the fact that I am thankful when I am sleeping in my bed in Wheatley, Oxford. As for my spare time, have you seen the series ‘Good Life’ – with Tom and Barbara Good? We love to pretend to be them in our spare time!