Project Group: The Friends of St Michael and All Angels

A project group of volunteers from the village, The Friends of St Michael and All Angels, has been formed as a sub-committee of the Parochial Church Council to raise funds for the restoration of the church.  The members are listed below:

 

Jeremy Ames - Deputy Chair

Jeremy is a retired chartered accountant and spent most of his career working in the oil industry.  For seven years he was BP’s finance lead for their investments and operations in Russia and then held several senior roles in compliance & ethics.  His final role was as a consultant to the Courtauld Institute of Art advising on their long term business plan in the build up to their project to redevelop the gallery and teaching premises at Somerset House. He has lived in Teffont for 18 years.

 

Ruth Blamey - Treasurer & Finance

Ruth spent the first 15 years of her career working in various senior finance roles in the hotel industry.  All roles involved restructuring, innovating, and managing teams and often in quite stressful environments.  As Finance & Operations Director in her most recent role, Ruth was responsible for all finance, IT, HR, legal and office facilities management. Resident in Teffont Evias for the last 15 years and now partially retired.

 

Nick Bravery - Campaign Co-ordination

Nick qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants whilst working for Unilever. After various financial roles, he launched a start-up business for the AA before becoming their Business Services Director. He then moved to Simplyhealth as Customer Services Director before returning to finance as the CFO and Company Secretary of a wealth management business. He led the financial and governance preparations for a stock market listing. Two years after the successful flotation, he moved into an HR Director role for a further two years before retiring. He is a Trustee of the Teffont Trust.

 

Sarah Bravery - Events

Sarah has over 20 years' experience of Event Management.  She was responsible for managing large-scale corporate events (in a wide range of market sectors) mostly held in London, Europe and occasionally further afield.  She took early retirement several years ago and has since been volunteering in a number of different roles. 

 

Emma Brown - Hospitality & Events

Emma started her professional career as a chartered surveyor specialising in the valuation of land and historic buildings, primarily in the London Docklands.  She subsequently worked in South Africa as a valuer of commercial properties including mines, airports, retail space and industrial parks.  Retired in 2024. Has lived in Teffont since December 2019.

 

Dominic Cockram - Marketing

After a first career of 16 years in the Army, Dominic set up and ran a management consultancy. He then worked as a Partner at Deloitte until semi-retirement in 2020. He has lived in Teffont Evias for two years.

 

Isobel Cockram - Marketing

Isobel is a life scientist who worked in marketing and PR for the pharmaceutical industry in her early career before moving into research programme management. After a career break, she returned to marketing, building the brand and market presence of a start-up company through to sale. Evias resident of two years.

 

Millie Fox - Social Media

Millie works full-time growing small travel businesses in Latin America via the big names such as Scott Dunn/ Audley Travel.  She lives locally. She’s always worked in the travel industry and has moved from sales across into marketing and product management over the years.

 

Reverend Tina Fox - Diocesan Liaison

Having raised two children, Tina worked in administration and accounts offices before and after.  Retired from full-time employment in 2017 having served 20 years working with the Director of Ministry at the Diocesan Offices in Salisbury, organising events for clergy and lay ministers.  Ordained to the priesthood in 2012, serving as a non-stipendiary minister in both the Avon River Team and the Nadder Valley Team until 2023 before retiring (again!) and became a Permission to Officiate (PtO).  Tina moved to Teffont in 2016 when she married the Reverend Colin Fox in Teffont Evias Church. 

 

Richard McNamara - Chair

Retired seven years ago from a business career. Early career was in HR where he worked as head of function. Later career in management consultancy in UK and Middle East and as a Non-Executive Director. Lived in Teffont Magna for 30 years.

 

Desmond Shawe-Taylor - Curator

Art historian and museum professional; retired in 2021, having been Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery (1996-2005) and Surveyor of The Queen’s Pictures (2005-21). Continues to work as a scholar and tour guide.  Lived in Teffont Evias for 15 years.

 

Rose Shawe-Taylor - Curator

Rose is a classically trained painter and has worked in publishing as a commissioning editor (Cambridge University Press) and in education as Head of Art and History of Art at schools including Wellington College and Shrewsbury School. Lived in Teffont Evias for 15 years.

 

Mark Turnbull - Project Liaison

Mark has been a property manager at Savills for over 35 years. He moved to Teffont from Tisbury in 2021 and undertook extensive alterations to his Chilmark stone cottage. He and Rachel were married in Evias church in 2023, so he has a strong emotional attachment to St Michael and All Angels.

 

Deborah Wakley - Project Liaison

Deborah is an ARB and RIBA registered architect with over 25 years’ experience.  She worked in private practice, rising through the ranks to co-run a firm of Architects and lead the technical design team until late 2022 when she joined a construction firm to oversee design and build projects.  She has a vast experience of design and detailing innovating projects across a broad range of sectors, most notably in education, hotels and residential schemes and has a particular interest in sustainable design.  Deborah has been a part of Teffont life since 2019.

 

Richard Willan - Fund-raising

In 1938, Richard’s Grandfather bought Bridges in Teffont Evias, when it was no longer required as a Rectory.  Richard’s parents moved there when his father retired from the Royal Air Force in 1960.  Richard and Sara moved to Teffont from London in 1996.  The family’s connection with the village means that Richard is only too delighted to help this most worthwhile project in any way he can. After a short spell in the army, Richard spent most of his working life in the furniture industry both manufacturing and importing sofas from around the world.