WHO WE ARE A brief introduction to the people
at the Centre ... |
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PERMANENT STAFF Gretchen Stevens:
Moira Briggs:
In her spare time she's Co-Administrator of the literary website, Vulpes Libris , which led to her being asked by the Romantic Novelists' Association (of which she is, inexplicably, a member) to be one of the three judges of The Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2010. Honestly. Could we make that up?. If you really have nothing better to do, you might like to visit Moira's blog: From the Centre Manager's desk.
Andrea is the Centre's Volunteer Co-ordinator and bears most of the responsibility for - you guessed it - co-ordinating volunteers, organizing fundraising events and keeping the mountains of jumble that arrive at the Centre under some semblance of control. She joined us several years ago as a volunteer and proceeded to make herself so indispensible with her boundless enthusiasm and organizational ability that we had no choice but to try and find the money to persuade her to stay put. When not hauling boxes of jumble, craft materials and newsletters around, or knitting like a thing demented, Andrea is also our main beekeeper and can often be found at the top of the garden in her white suit clucking over her 'babies'. She is also the person who usually answers the telephone, and so is often visitors' and clients' first point of contact with us.
Richard Harrop: Richard provides the muscle in the garden … you'll usually spot him in a death grip with a wild rhododendron or fighting an unending (but doomed) battle with the hayfield we call our lawn. Ralf Bidder: Ralf does all the stuff Richard doesn't in the garden - weeding, planting and tending the vegetable beds. When he isn't dealing death to caterpillars he's an extraordinarily talented woodworker with his own business - Silent Forest Creations - and a selection of his work can be seen at the Centre.
VISITING THERAPISTS:
Kay McMahon: Kay is a long-time friend of the Centre who is a Therapeutic Practitioner for Surestart Copeland. Kay offers Ayurvedic Massage by appointment. Ayurveda originated in India 4,000 years ago and is believed to be the oldest health-maintenance system known to modern man.
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Gretchen
was born in America a very long time ago, and her least
favourite question at seminars and conferences is: "How did
you find out that you had a healing gift?" The answer, basically,
is that the realisation dawned upon her slowly in the same way that
other people begin to recognise they have a natural ability to draw,
or pick out a tune on a piano, or put words together entertainingly
on the page. She doesn't believe that her ability is unique …
rather that it's a talent we all possess to a greater or lesser
degree, but with which most of us have lost touch. Her approach
to healing is informed by her own Christian faith, but she never
proselytises and expects no reciprocal belief from those who come
seeking help. People who arrive at the Centre for the first time
are often nervous, vaguely expecting something mystical or new-agey.
They are always pleasantly surprised by Gretchen's - and indeed
the Centre's - relaxed and resolutely down-to-earth attitude. The
most common sound issuing from behind the treatment room door is
that of laughter.
Moira
is the Centre Manager (at least, that's what it says in her Job
Description). She originally started as a Saturday morning volunteer
in 1990 and nobody seems at all sure how or why she seems
to be running the place 21 years later. They just turned their backs
one morning, and there she was – complete with office, computer
and a large mug of tea. Everybody blames someone else and leaves
it at that. She mostly hides in her office, with her Jack Russell
