Ruth Harvey

Director

Passionate about peace building and adult spiritual formation, Ruth has worked in this area alongside churches, faith groups and small charities in Scotland, England, Ireland and Europe since 1989. Trained as a mediator and facilitator in 2011, Ruth has worked for Place for Hope since then as a volunteer Practitioner, while also being employed first as Head of Training, and then as Director since 2016. She is an accredited Mediator with Scottish Mediation.

Previously Ruth has worked for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (Director of the Living Spirituality Network), The Iona Community (Coracle Editor), Churches Together in Cumbria (Ecumenical Development Officer), and the Church of Scotland (Congregational Facilitator), focussing on training, formation, spiritual development and writing/editing. She writes regularly for various publications including Wild Goose Publications, Pray Now, Spirituality of Conflict, and the CTBI Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. She has published a number of books on the themes of spiritual journeying. Ruth is an ordained Church of Scotland minister, a Quaker, and a member of the Iona Community.

In her spare time Ruth enjoys writing poetry/prayers, camping, camp-fires, and being in Argyll – on, in or near the sea. She lives in Cumbria with views of Blencathra from her kitchen window.

Something that gives me hope…

The amazing resilience and forgiveness I see daily in children.

Iain McLarty

Communications and Administration (Maternity Cover)

Iain has been a volunteer Practitioner with Place for Hope since 2016. He splits his time between working as a freelance choral and orchestral conductor and exploring creative worship with various organisations including the Church of Scotland and the World Council of Churches. He is particularly committed to working ecumenically and to enabling people to be able to bring about change in their communities.

Helen Boothroyd

Business Development Manager

Helen’s passion for justice and peace has underpinned her development work for various ecumenical organisations over many years. Her role focuses on strategic planning, sustainability and fundraising. Helen is a member of the Methodist Church and lives near the sea in North Lancashire. She loves walking and birdwatching around Morecambe Bay, and at holiday times she and her husband can be found in their caravan anywhere in the UK!

A quote I love…

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” - Martin Luther King (quoting Theodore Parker)

Neil Wykes

Administrator and Bookkeeper

Neil is responsible for many day-to-day tasks - from the smooth running of the virtual offices to booking venues, tracking finance and fixing spreadsheets! Having worked full-time for several years within the voluntary and corporate sector in Scotland, managing offices, databases and accounts, Neil now works part time with Place for Hope. He spends the rest of his week as a wedding photographer, and Lego Master Builder alongside his young son.

A quote I love...

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost

Abdul Rahim

Project Worker - Positive Working Together

Abdul is a mediator, facilitator and trainer with over ten years experience in facilitating complex multi-party, multi-issue dialogue processes within and between local authorities, the third sector and communities. A practicing Muslim, Abdul has worked across England, and more recently in Scotland using civic mediation processes to build understanding and relationships across communities where racial and cultural tensions are evident. He has experience of international conflicts, working with survivors of the Tsunami Disaster in Sri Lanka, and with marginalised Roma communities in Slovenia. 

A quote I love...

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Gilda Radner, actress and comedian (1946-1989)

Natalie Barrett

Communications and Client Care Manager 

Natalie looks after words, websites and people! She is the main point of contact for those reaching out for support or training and ensures that the work, ethos and message of Place for Hope is communicated in a clear, accessible way. Natalie lives by the sea with her photographer husband and their son, Indiana. She plays roller derby and loves nothing more than a cycle next to the beach, with her wee boy racing along ahead of her!

A quote I love…

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it’s always ourselves we find in the sea. – E. E. Cummings