Meet The Team

Sam lives in West Hull, with his partner Di and their two cats Freida and Freya, and he is an active member of the Hull YFC community there. He has a background of living in intentional communities, including L'Arche, and has a training in Psychosynthesis Leadership Coaching. He has a passion for "new monasticism" and is always looking to explore how best to help seed and grow deep, loving communities that can become the change we want to see in the world.

In his work with SEARCH, Sam spends much of his time web-weaving, coaching with leaders, and hosting courses and reflective spaces. He reads avidly and writes sporadically. He has a particular focus working at and beyond the margins of the institutional church, in multi-faith and inter-spiritual spaces.

Chris, along with his wife Anna, has been living and working on the Boulevard since the mid 90s and is part of the Hull YFC community, supporting children, young people and families in the area. 

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Often you'll find him and Anna out and about down the Boulevard and Hessle Road, bumping into people, having a chat. Giving people time. And listening. His work with SEARCH is in a similar vein. Building relationships and supporting people through visits, conversations and running courses together with Sam.

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He has two grown up children and enjoys  watching Wales RFU,  looking after Cody, their dog, and outings on his classic motorbike.

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Fiona has been  living in Hull, on and off, for 25 years and been loosely involved with SEARCH over the years, attending events and helping with various creative projects as part of Believe in Hull,  an initiative of over 80 churches of every denomination in the city, working together to reach out and celebrate their community work, born from and supported by SEARCH.

Her work with SEARCH now focusses on the communications side of things such as designing this website, curating the blog and facilitating last year's 25Days Advent Listening Adventure  and soon to be gathering stories for this website's blog.

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She's married to Gav and together they've embraced a life on wheels, in caravans and vans. Sometimes static in Hull, sometimes mobile, out and about, when time and money allow.​

Cathy (who did not write this) has been working with SEARCH for more than half its life. In 2012 when she became our main 'Development Worker' she worked with Roslyn Abbott, Martin King and a few others. Colleagues mean we were having a bit of a purple patch, working with a lot of churches coming to terms with 'austerity' and how to respond creatively when resources and services are 'going south'.  And then there was City of Culture 2017.  SEARCH employed the prep team which Cathy supported.  She took over the main delivery role on 1/1/17.  It was a massive challenge brilliantly met.  And so it was a wonderful and spectacular year, and not just for 'Believe in Hull', the churches-working-together 'brand' for that year.    Sadly, our response to Covid took a very great deal of the wind out of our sails.   

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For the last couple of years Cathy has been working on her own 'special project'.   Development workers know the mantra: you don't do to people; you work with people.   Cathy knows this deeply. No professional distance here.  She's always worked 'like that' with SEARCH.  Cathy is working with parents; with 'attachment' - the affects of lack of it; on how to deal with 'services' that don't get children.   SEARCH with Cathy hopes to create resources which will enable churches to bring a measure of healing and wholeness to some of the deepest needs people who come to you carry.   

I see myself as a friend maker, a relationship builder, a mate, a folk gatherer. I like making friends best. I’m very attached to Greatfield. Our St Hilda's family continues to grow daily. I feed and water and we have grown to love one another very deeply indeed. I also get fed and watered. 

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I do enjoy telling stories and listening to them. Real life stories about heartbreak and pain and joy and togethering , snot, tears and laughter and peace and disagreements and learning new things, singing new songs, learning to love and forgive.  We St Hilda's folk are in this flux together. This wouldn't have happened without SEARCH support. That’s just a fact. 

I've been in it from the start - that's 27 years now, over a third of my life - bringing, I hope, quite a lot of experience and connections and also immersion and reflection.... and so how the body of Christ in Hull in various parts and forms could respond to the spirit and the times and/in this place;  (and thank you Diocese of York for all that pay).  And like life, its been an upper and a downer, many times over.  But mainly an upper because it was designed to be and I believe has been a lean, non-invasive, spirit of the place and of the times feeling, servant-hearted/other-things together-creating/promoting thing.   I have and do work with some really first class people (though of course we work in a kingdom-coming where such a word has no currency) and its been a huge privilege and joy, actually.   

Eileen is the Mission Priest at Beverley Minster but completed her curacy in East Hull. Originally from Bolton, she is married to Mark and has twin daughters who are now 27, and a Golden Doodle dog called Noah.  Eileen likes pubs, theatre and has a Sunday morning radio show on Beverley FM.

I have been involved with SEARCH since the 2000s and have seen the impact on people and churches across the region.  Not only practical help to set up initiatives but the spiritual support including very often the unseen ways that people are encouraged and motivated to carry out their dreams.  I help as a Trustee by using my skills such as HR, and Policy Writing and of course contributing towards decision making.  I am passionate about eradicating debt which is so destructive for people, and I have been a Debt Adviser with Community Money Advice since November 2008. Working with and for a charity is so rewarding and I recommend it to you.

Lynn has been involved with SEARCH since the 2000s. Together with her husband, Ian, they ​run Eternal Benefits,  based in The Quadrant, North Hull and are known for their hands-on, community-focused approach to supporting local people.​