Meet The Team

Our Team

Merry Wood

Manager

Merry Wood, Manager

You Role
As Manager, I look after every aspect of the house from coordinating courses and retreats, to leading a brilliant team and handling guest needs. I make sure everyone feels welcome and everything runs smoothly.

Your Connection With The House
Watching our guests' healing and self-development journey during their stay at Claridge House is incredibly powerful, making me feel part of something important that I'm dedicated to nurturing and growing.

What you hope to achieve for the house with your role?
Seeing the profound impact Claridge House has on our guests everyday fuels my dedication to ensuring its longevity, so we can continue helping people for years to come.

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Cherry Simpkin

CHAIR

Cherry Simpkin, Chair

Your Role
I am the Trustee responsible for liaising with the Charity Commission and ensuring that the Claridge House charity meets its legal and regulatory requirements. I also seek to ensure that the House and Charity operate in accordance with Quaker principles, as a Quaker Recognised Body. I also represent the Trustees with the Friends in Residence group.

Your Connection With The House
I have been connected with the house for many years and seen it through many challenges and changes. I appreciate being part of an organisation which helps so many people cope with the challenges and changes in their own lives.

What you hope to achieve for the house with your role?
In my current Trustee role I hope to ensure that Claridge House maintains an excellent reputation as a well-run charity operating in line with Quaker values so it can thrive as a trusted sanctuary for its guests and in its service to the community

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Gail Lineham

TRUSTEE

Gail Lineham, Trustee

Your Role
I am the Chair of the Board of Trustees. I have responsibility for ensuring we, as a Board, set the strategic direction of Claridge House and work together in support of delivering this.

Your Connection With The House
I visited Claridge House many years ago for a yoga retreat and I was blown away by the kindness and dedication of the staff, the wonderfully nourishing food and a general sense of being very well looked after. The House feels very special and a safe haven for rest and renewal. I wanted to be part of the team that could ensure as many people as possible benefit from this special place.

What you hope to achieve for the house with your role?
I hope to bring my compassion, collaboration, practical mindset and life insights to the House and the staff in my role. This role also gives me the opportunity to continually give back to the community which I find very fulfilling.

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Anne Simpson

Trustee

Anne Simpson, Trustee

Your Role
A major part of my trustee role this time around has been to help with marketing with an emphasis on courses; working with Merry and Georgina to build a strong, varied and well attended course programme to fulfil our charitable objectives of healing, rest and renewal.

Your Connection With The House
My association with CH has been over a period of some 30 years as a guest, course leader, healer, and trustee. I love the house and gardens for the tranquillity, healing and rest I gain from being there - whatever I'm doing.

What you hope to achieve for the house with your role?
I hope I'm helping to develop and enhance the gift the house keeps giving and also do whatever l can to ensure it's legacy for the future.

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Georgina Wilson

Trustee

Georgina Wilson, Trustee

Your Role
My role in the house is focussed on our strategy and marketing to support the house thrive and build a community connected to our charitable purpose of healing, rest and renewal. I also support Anne on course management.

Your Connection With The House
My first connection with the house was through attending a silent retreat, where I fell in love with the peaceful and nurturing atmosphere. I felt nourished mind, body and soul.

What you hope to achieve for the house with your role?
I hope to build on our wonderful reputation for providing a healing and restful space for individuals to retreat from the world and renew themselves, and to expand our reach to those who need our services more than ever in these difficult times.

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Irina Eltsova

Trustee

Irina Eltsova, Trustee

Your Role
I oversee accounting and financial matters of Claridge House.

Your Connection With The House
The sincerity and peace of Claridge House inspire me to dedicate my time so that people always can enjoy life at this place.

What you hope to achieve for the house with your role?
I want to make sure the House stands firmly on its feet financially to help guests and community to find light in themselves.

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Fergal Crossan

Trustee

Fergal Crossan, Trustee

You Role
As a Trustee I try to support the team through my background as a hospitality professional.

Your Connection With The House
I have been a Trustee since 2019 and came onboard through my work at another Quaker centre. It has been very rewarding to help the House during what has been a challenging period.

What you hope to achieve for the house with your role?
I hope to help secure the future of the House and see it thrive and continue to provide rest and renewal for those who need it for many years to come.

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Jane Jenner

Trustee

Jane Jenner, Trustee

Your Role
My role at Claridge House is to support Merry and the team using my hospitality experience. I will help with Housekeeping, recruitment and other similar areas.

Your Connection With The House
I love the whole Claridge House experience and atmosphere it creates to help well-being. I want to be part of the team that can bring that to its guests.

What you hope to achieve for the house with your role?
I'm still new to the role but hope my 35+ years in the hotel industry will bring some new innovative ideas to improve an already wonderful experience to the people who participate in the courses and anyone who stays with us.

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