Trust & Trustees

John graduated from Keele University and worked as a teacher in the 1970s. From 1980 he served over seventeen years as an evangelist with Scripture Union before becoming Director of Ministry for the Saltmine Trust. After twenty-two years of travelling, he accepted the invitation to pastor a church in Stafford, retiring in 2014.

John and his wife Linda have two daughters and three grandchildren. They relax bird-watching in the wilderness areas of the UK. He served for nine years until 2024 as Chair of Love Stafford (the unity partnership for Christians in the area) and is still a trustee/director of various charities. They worship at Rising Brook Community (Baptist) Church where John serves as an elder. John served on the Criccieth Beach Mission for a number of years under the leadership of Mary and Dave Butt.

Stuart is a Chartered Accountant with 35 years’ experience in the private sector. He has been Trustee of a mid size charity in Oldham for 19 years.

Stuart has attended CofE churches through his life and is currently a member at Christ Church Chadderton, close to his home in Oldham where he has attended for the last 31 years.

As well as his faith which underpins everything Stuart is, he is a brass musician and enjoys sporting activities including golf and running.

Administration skills honed in various organisations over the last 40 years have been widely used in church and charity settings, including aid to Romania, mission work in Afghanistan, Church Treasurer positions, and the running of charity and Local Authority homeless night shelters.

A passion for seeing people impacted by the love of God, and the opportunity to volunteer with Groundbreakers as Treasurer, was a great meld of ability and passion for the service of God.

Married to Jennie, we have two musically talented children progressing through school.

Ann’s career in secondary education leaves her with a passion to ensure that all children have access to a quality educational opportunity to learn about the love of God. She worked with Dave Butt for 16 years as a fellow Deputy Head at Trinity CE High School and learned about the extensive work that Mary was doing in a variety of schools across Manchester; she feels privileged to have been asked to be part of the vision for the development of this work.

She is the Chair of Governors of a primary school in Heald Green, and a secondary school in Oldham.

Debs first met Mary in a local choir where they discovered that they were both Christians. Years later, their children met at secondary school and Mary and Dave launched a Bible study for teens, in their home, which her daughter attended. Paths crossed again in 2020 when she saw an advert for a Schools’ Worker for the Groundbreakers project with Manchester City Mission. Debs met Mary for coffee to discuss the role and found Mary’s passion and enthusiasm for the ministry with children was inspirational. Debs was appointed to the role and worked alongside Mary from 2020-23 delivering assemblies, various workshops, the Experience Day programme and filming online assemblies – all great fun!! Although she retired in 2023, she still volunteers with Groundbreakers for the Experience Day programme.

Before working for Groundbreakers, Debs was a teacher for thirty-five years in various primary schools across the country. She undertook a variety of leadership roles mainly in R.E and Music curriculum development and co-ordination. In her last post, she was also responsible for planning and leading Harvest, Christmas and Easter celebrations and creating links with local church leaders.
In church, she has undertaken various roles from children’s work to worship and housegroup leader and occasional preacher. Debs was Musical Director of Saddleworth Sing for Pleasure Choir from 2015-2023.

Maisie is Mary and Dave Butt’s youngest daughter and has seen how Mary has grown and developed Groundbreakers since its beginning, having been in the very first Groundbreakers club. She wants to be able to support the continuation of Groundbreakers as a trustee, and is really excited to see how it can grow.

Maisie currently works for Urban Outreach Bolton, a poverty alleviation charity, regularly working with children and young people to address food poverty across the town. She is regularly involved in Children and Youth work at her church in Openshaw and has been a leader at Criccieth Holiday Club.