Our Team

Rachel Whittington is the Executive Director of Church Urban Fund. In addition to the day-to-day management of CUF, she is responsible for the co-creation and implementation of a refreshed strategy as the organisations seeks, together with partners and communities across the country, to develop a shared vision for faith in society today.

Rachel was CUF's Director of Partnerships for three years and re-joined the organisation in 2020 following a period at Allchurches Trust.

Rachel has extensive senior leadership experience following 15 years in the private and non-profit sector in the UK and across the world which has led to a deep passion for connecting with new people and building meaningful collaborations to drive social change. Rachel has a Master’s degree in Management and wrote her research thesis on the power of stakeholder-led organisations. She lives in Gloucestershire with her husband and in her spare time enjoys yoga and painting.

Chris joined CUF in 2018. Bringing over 30 years experience of brand/creative strategy and project management working on major national and international projects for both commercial and Not-for-Profit sectors. His breath of experience gives a unique insight into organisations and allows cross-pollination of ideas from different sectors to the advantage of all our projects.

In his spare time Chris restores vintage motorcycles, enjoys the great outdoors and is also a National Park Ranger.

Liz is the Director of Partnerships. She works from home in Retford, Nottinghamshire, is mum to two boys, and is often travelling the country visiting Near Neighbours projects and and Together Network activities. She grew up in South Yorkshire and likes jazz, films and walking her dog Ben.

Sarah has been working in the charity sector for 15 years, most recently as the Operations Director for The Honeypot Children’s Charity, an organisation that provides respite breaks and outreach support to young carers.

Prior to this, she was the Head of Specialist Services at The Royal British Legion, leading a broad portfolio of national services for the armed forces community including Benefits, Money and Debt Advice services, Independent Living Advice, a Handy Van service for older veterans and the Moneyforce website aimed at promoting financial capability to younger service personnel. Previous roles included managing domiciliary respite care services for children and adults and running projects helping people with disabilities and other disadvantages return to work.

Sarah lives in London with her partner and 3 cats and provides supported lodgings through The Albert Kennedy Trust for young people aged 16-21 who are at risk of homelessness.

Laura joined CUF in 2020, as our Head of Finance. CIMA qualified, Laura is an experienced, engaging, people-centred and strategic leader; passionate about building, and working with others to build, excellent organisations and has worked for many years across the public and not for profit sectors in finance, operations and strategy roles.

When not working, you'll most likely find Laura outdoors somewhere - ideally, walking up a mountain, or, whenever possible, skiing down one.

Amy joined CUF in Spring of 2016 and supports the Together Network, Near Neighbours and other CUF partnerships through communications, sharing learning, reporting, events and resources.

Before CUF she enjoyed reading Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, and spent eighteen months working within digital media. Amy spends free time at her local Vineyard Church, baking or dancing, and lives near Sutton with her husband (and two cats).

Paul joined CUF in 2004 as part of the Grants team. He transferred to the Finance team in 2010. Paul is responsible for ensuring the accuracy and consistency of financial data in CUF’s databases.

He has a degree in mathematics and is in the final stages of completing an accountancy qualification.

Lazzaro joined CUF at the end of 2018 as Communications and PR Manager for the Near Neighbours programme.

Graduated in Ancient History and with a Msc in European Politics from Birkbeck College London, Lazzaro worked as journalist, press officer, and media advisor in the UK and abroad.

He has a personal interest in interfaith dialogue and in his spare time he enjoys cooking (and eating!) food from different cultures.

Mia has recently joiners the Church Urban Fund, she brings a broad fundraising experience, from the Not-for-profit sector.

Bridget has been working in senior roles in the fundraising sector for over twenty years, most recently for the Royal Academy of Dance, The Just Finance Foundation, and the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership. She has also been a trustee for a women’s refuge which helps women and children find a place to call home, leading a Strategic Planning Committee to create a vision and mission for the next five years.

She prides herself in being innovative, highly motivated, and passionate about the causes she represents, and believes strongly in a donor-centric approach to fundraising.

Bridget, a mum of four lovely children, has lived and worked in the USA for over 30 years but has now settled back into her home in Cambridgeshire with her husband and four-legged doggy partner-in-crime, Rose. She spends her free time walking the aforementioned across the fields and through the woods, and supporting the best football team in the world – Liverpool FC!

Elieshia has worked for Church Urban Fund since 2014 and is fairly new to fundraising. She has worked in various retail companies and a mega UK church. Elieshia is a wife, mother of 3 and has over 10 years experience in the sector.

Kelly joined the Church Urban Fund in 2020. Having previously worked in the veterinary sector and other roles, she decided to apply her knowledge to Fundraising. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, Ballroom dancing and walking, with the odd charity walk thrown in on occasion (and looking after her cat!).

Hannah is a Researcher working on the GR:ACE project, which is delivered in partnership between Church Urban Fund and Theos. Based at Theos, she is exploring the relationship between social action, discipleship and church growth, and is always keen to hear stories of what churches are getting up to in their communities.

Before that, she worked as a research assistant and completed a MSc in Inequalities and Social Science at LSE. Hannah has also worked as a support worker for young adults with learning disabilities and managed a social enterprise sweet shop. She studied French and Spanish at university and spent a year abroad working with local churches in Paris and Madrid. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys going running, reading crime novels and taking her fantasy football team far too seriously.

Gillian is the Grants & Administration Officer for Near Neighbours and joined the team in March 2019 – she has worked in the charitable sector since 1999. She is passionate about environmental matters, social justice and community, and has been a volunteer with her church’s weekly community breakfast for 14 years. In her spare time, she keeps chickens and gardens (her own garden, but also indulges in guerrilla gardening too), and she has recently started a WhatsApp group for 20 plus houses in her street – hoping to encourage community activities and support for each other. Gillian has a daughter in her early 20s at university.