Please feel free to contact any of the team at any time. However, all initial enquiries about works to your building or churchyard and queries about the faculty process or applying for consent should please be directed to the Church Buildings office at dac@elydiocese.org
The Church Buildings and Pastoral Department team members can often be seen out and about throughout the Diocese, working with parishes and churches to care for, maintain and develop their buildings and to offer support and guidance where pastoral reorganisation is under consideration.
Each of the team members bring with them relevant qualifications, skills and experience to enable the Diocese to offer an enhanced level of professional service and support to the DAC and to parishes and churches throughout the Diocese.
The Team
Geoffrey Hunter - DAC Secretary and Head of the Church Buildings and Pastoral Department
- Email: geoffrey.hunter@elydiocese.org
- Telephone: 01353 652737
Geoffrey heads up the Church Buildings and Pastoral Department with overall responsibility for the operation and smooth running of the Department and the support and services offered to clergy, church volunteers and their professional advisers. Geoffrey joined the team in April 2016, having worked for the Diocese of London since 2006 in a variety of roles. Geoffrey acts as a central advocate for churches wishing to re-imagine their buildings through projects of re-ordering and extension. Geoffrey guides parishes through the Faculty process, including Diocesan Advisory Committee and other statutory consultations.
Geoffrey spent five years as a churchwarden himself, at Thorpe Market in the Diocese of Norwich. Since 2012 he has been a member of the National Church Buildings Council and is also a committee member of the Association of Festival Churches. Geoffrey is a history of art graduate of the Courtauld Institute of Art and also holds an MSc degree in Conservation of the Historic Environment and is a member of the Association for Studies in the Conservation of Historic Buildings and the Norfolk Churches Trust. Outside of work, Geoffrey is an amateur musician and enjoys playing with old cars.
Philippa Pearson - Pastoral Secretary
- Email: philippa.pearson@elydiocese.org
- Telephone: 01353 652729
- Philippa works part-time on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Philippa works on the reorganisation and boundary changes of parishes and benefices, patronage matters and closed churches and supports the Archdeacons’ Office and The Bishop’s office with these processes. Philippa was previously at parish level and held various roles here including PCC Secretary, Administrator, and DBS ID Checker and was Deanery Secretary for the regional area. She has also been Deputy Churchwarden for a tiny rural Cambridgeshire church and trained as an ALM Worship leader. Philippa previously trained in horticulture and enjoys gardening at her home and allotment in The Fens.
Sam Reeder - DAC Administrator
- Email: sam.reeder@elydiocese.org
- Telephone: 01353 652718
- Sam works part-time on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Sam supports the DAC and Church Buildings and Pastoral Department with a range of administrative tasks. Primarily responsible for List B applications via the Online Faculty System (OFS) and replying to general DAC email enquiries. She works closely with DAC members for support and guidance with work that comes to us through the OFS for early advice, consultation, and consent for works.
Her previous experience includes working in HS&E and Facilities administration, she also brings with her transferable skills from her career as a retail manger - heading up a large team, meeting targets and delivering excellent customer service.
James Ryder - Church Buildings Adviser
- Email: james.ryder@elydiocese.org
- Telephone: 01353 652705
James provides guidance to parishes on building repair, alternation works and all other matters requiring Faculty consent.He works as a Faculty case officer, managing appications, advising on the process and the preperation of the information needed to ensure applications are ready for DAC consideration.
James has previously worked in bookshops and libraries and was a proffessional letter carver for 10 years, he has always had an interest in the construction of historic buildings. Alongside his work for the diocese he is undertaking a Historic Environment Advice Assistant apprenticeship with with Strode College.
Holly Robinson - Historic Church Buildings Support Officer
- Email: holly.robinson@elydiocese.org
- Telephone: 01353 652720
Holly joined the Diocese of Ely as the Historic Church Buildings Support Officer thanks to a partnership with Historic England and Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust. Holly works with churches where the heritage is considered to be most at risk, and as a result, is listed on Historic England's 'Heritage at Risk Register'.
Her work focuses on assisting parishes in understanding, managing, maintaining and making the best use of their buildings, with an emphasis on community consultation, heritage engagement activities and grant applications. Holly organises and facilitates the Church Buildings Support Network meetings, organises training events on topics such as maintenance, bid writing, open and welcome churches and heritage interpretation and also helps Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust to promote Ride and Stride.
Holly is a qualified secondary school teacher with a degree in Heritage Conservation, which she has combined over the last decade to become a specialist in Heritage Learning and Interpretation. She has worked for museums, the National Trust and most recently The Churches Conservation Trust, creating and delivering a number of activity and engagement programmes, including three major projects supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund).
Away from work Holly enjoys calligraphy, yoga and walking along the riverbank near her home in Guyhirn.
Samuel Pedlar - Church and Community Support Adviser
- Email: samuel.pedlar@elydiocese.org
- Telephone: 07539 916607
Samuel is our Church and Community Support Adviser, working in the Church Buildings Team. In his role as a buildings support officer, Samuel gives targeted support to individual churches - and those who love them, care for them, and use them. Samuel works alongside Holly Robinson, who focuses on fundraising and fabric, whereas Samuel works to support the PCCs to build their projects, and people resources so that they be sustainable, have manpower to carry our projects, reach out their community and make sure each church is well cared for and future proofed. Samuel also runs the Church Building Support Network which offers training sessions and events for PCC’s and Friends Group members. You can find out more about his work, read case studies, and find information about the Church Buildings Support Network by clicking here: Church and Community - Diocese of Ely.
Sacha Watson - Net Zero Carbon Officer
- Email: sacha.watson@elydiocese.org
- Telephone: 07301 29856
Sacha works with the Church Buildings, Schools and Clergy Housing teams to help support their work delivering the Church of England NZC Routemap, the Diocese of Ely NZC Action Plan and the teams’ and the Diocese’s journeys to Net Zero Carbon. The focus is primarily on supporting and encouraging work to reduce buildings’ energy consumption and transitioning away from fossil fuel heating systems.
She worked for 20 years in a variety of project management roles, ranging from structural installations to public events.
John Morgan – Consultant
- Email: john.morgan@elydiocese.org
- John works part time as a consultant to the Church Buildings Team.
John provides guidance to parishes on building repair, alteration works and all other matters requiring full Faculty or List B consent, managing cases, advising on the process and the preparation of the information needed to ensure applications are ready for DAC consideration.