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Director:
Alison Woolley
Having lived in Bradford since 1996, I moved to the Scottish Borders in 2021.
I became Director of the Seeds of Silence project in 2016, after I'd completed theology PhD researching contemporary Christian women's spiritual practices of silence at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Research and the University of Birmingham in 2015. During my studies I spent two years training as a spiritual accompanist and now offer this ministry to an ever growing number of people across the UK using zoom. I also offer specialised support to women beginning theology PhDs and continue to write about silence for general and academic publishers. For more than 20 years I worked as a Music Therapist with young people with complex learning difficulties and autism. Outside work, I'm sustained by my long-term practices of Centering Prayer and 5Rhythms dance, seaside walks, photography, reading and writing poetry, involvement in two feminist theology research groups and time with my partner and our cat.
Having lived in Bradford since 1996, I moved to the Scottish Borders in 2021.
I became Director of the Seeds of Silence project in 2016, after I'd completed theology PhD researching contemporary Christian women's spiritual practices of silence at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Research and the University of Birmingham in 2015. During my studies I spent two years training as a spiritual accompanist and now offer this ministry to an ever growing number of people across the UK using zoom. I also offer specialised support to women beginning theology PhDs and continue to write about silence for general and academic publishers. For more than 20 years I worked as a Music Therapist with young people with complex learning difficulties and autism. Outside work, I'm sustained by my long-term practices of Centering Prayer and 5Rhythms dance, seaside walks, photography, reading and writing poetry, involvement in two feminist theology research groups and time with my partner and our cat.
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A book about my research into silence is now available in paperback and ebook formats.
Alison Woolley, Women Choosing Silence: Relationality and Transformation in Spiritual Practice (London: Routledge, 2019). Based in in-depth interviews with 20 women in the UK, it explores the role, value and impact of chosen practices of silence in the lives of contemporary Christian women. It details how their engagement in silence-based prayer brings about transformation in the women's relationships with God, with themselves and with others. |
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Advisory Board:
Paul Booth
I'm a retired Anglican priest who has lived and worked in Bradford for 37 years - more than half my life, just! As a spiritual director for the past 17 years, I am immersed in the ministry of listening, contemplative prayer, stillness and silence. Married to Linda, we jointly have 5 adult children, and 9 grandchildren. I write poetry, enjoy exploring the countryside by foot and bike, and love to travel. Having a daughter in Morocco and a step-daughter and family in Italy helps keep my travel bug alive. My joy in travelling is to experience and celebrate different cultures, and this also connects with my passion for food - preparing it, cooking it and eating it!
I'm a retired Anglican priest who has lived and worked in Bradford for 37 years - more than half my life, just! As a spiritual director for the past 17 years, I am immersed in the ministry of listening, contemplative prayer, stillness and silence. Married to Linda, we jointly have 5 adult children, and 9 grandchildren. I write poetry, enjoy exploring the countryside by foot and bike, and love to travel. Having a daughter in Morocco and a step-daughter and family in Italy helps keep my travel bug alive. My joy in travelling is to experience and celebrate different cultures, and this also connects with my passion for food - preparing it, cooking it and eating it!
Christine Crabtree
I’m a Methodist minister trying to help people find silence and space to connect with God at this time of change as church moves into a very different place. I have trained in Spiritual Direction and have both formal directees and informal contact around the Bradford North Methodist Circuit to help people explore what the changing face of church means for their faith. I lead Quiet Days and Vision Days both on screen and in person for churches in this area. I've recently had a Sabbatical where I looked at different Missional Communities and how they enrich their members, and hope to bring some of that to bear on my ministry. I do a lot of reading and reflection within the Franciscan Tradition and have just begun to walk with the Third Order as a Postulant. I don't know what God has in store but I do know that we go on growing and learning, and am excited to see where the journey leads.
I’m a Methodist minister trying to help people find silence and space to connect with God at this time of change as church moves into a very different place. I have trained in Spiritual Direction and have both formal directees and informal contact around the Bradford North Methodist Circuit to help people explore what the changing face of church means for their faith. I lead Quiet Days and Vision Days both on screen and in person for churches in this area. I've recently had a Sabbatical where I looked at different Missional Communities and how they enrich their members, and hope to bring some of that to bear on my ministry. I do a lot of reading and reflection within the Franciscan Tradition and have just begun to walk with the Third Order as a Postulant. I don't know what God has in store but I do know that we go on growing and learning, and am excited to see where the journey leads.
