The Engaging Issues team
Engaging Issues is organised and published by a non-profit-making, small and informal group of local friends.
Current committee members are:
Lesley Richards
Lesley is our convener and chair and tries to keep us all on task. She has been involved in sixth form education all her career, teaching A Level maths, introducing GNVQs to her college when they were the ‘latest thing’ and running a maths department. Her PhD thesis on “Sixth form students’ paid work and their academic achievement” demonstrated that, contrary to the view of many teachers, paid work does not necessarily have a negative impact on student learning. Lesley still teaches A level maths part time, and hopes that her style as chair is not too obviously teacherly. She is an active Quaker who has worked behind the scenes on a number of their recent national decisions.
Mike Bourke
Mike Bourke has been a supporter of Engaging Issues since he retired in 2006. He took a degree in Modern Languages and was then ordained in the Church of England. He served in the Dioceses of Lincoln, St Albans and then Lichfield where he was Bishop of Wolverhampton for 13 happy years. He and Liz greatly enjoyed the multi-ethnic and multi-faith environment of the Black Country, and Mike was able to use his German language experience to chair the Meissen Commission, which oversees the relationship between the Church of England and the German Protestant Church. His faith in the Incarnation leads him to look for God’s hidden presence in every situation, and not just in the Church. He thinks it is especially important to learn from others, and experience and understand the world through other people’s eyes. In retirement he is continuing his German links through the Diocese of Hereford, learning Welsh and supporting the environmental work of Stretton Climate Care.
Susan Walker
After tertiary education and adventures doing voluntary work and back-packing in various parts of the globe, Susan returned to the UK to work as a child psychologist in specialist multi-disciplinary teams responding to children with acquired brain injury (following events such as road traffic accidents, sports injuries, assaults, tumours, meningitis and other infections). Although based in clinical settings, outreach was an additional important aspect involving liaison with each child’s family, local health and education services in preparation for injured children returning home from hospital.
Susan enjoys her retirement walking and travelling, reading, quilting, textile art, cooking and spending time with her family.
David Howard
David is the committee’s resident humanist. A former headteacher, he spends his retirement years in community activities, tending his garden and allotment, cycling, walking, and reading voraciously. He and his wife have three children and seven grandchildren. David worries for their future, and wants to see radical change in the world.
Steve Aze
Steve’s chequered past includes: technical operations (mainly sound) for BBC TV and Radio; full-time student of Biblical Studies and Cross-Cultural Communications; a brief and undistinguished period as a missionary; media relations and training for the national Methodist Church; FE lecturer in computer programming; software application developer and solution architect; technical director for a small software company making careers education resources. Currently Steve is a senior developer/analyst for a fintech company. Steve is Eastern Orthodox. He is married with three grown-up kids, and loves walking in the Shropshire hills.