Meet The Team
Made up of Volunteers and Professionals from across the Five Valleys, this core team helps make the Festival happen. There is always space for new members of our core group. If you have a gift, passion or experience you could bring to the table we would love to hear from you
Or if you have a question for the team simply click here to contact them.
Phil is chair of Ignition Gloucestershire, the charity behind the Festival of Wonder. He was Area Manager for the anti-poverty & food bank charity, The Trussell Trust and is currently the Chair of Stroud District Foodbank. He has lived in Stroud for over 40 years where he and his wife Rachel, have raised 4 children. He loves the challenge of pulling teams (and finance) together to curate festivals and community events and then seeing the community celebrate together.
Simon is Pioneer Minister in the Stroud Parish Churches centred in & around the Stroud Centre for Peace & the Arts in St Laurence’s. Born in the West of England, he trained as a professional musician (drums/percussion/piano) and taught in schools and as a management trainer before becoming an Anglican priest, initially in Hong Kong and then in London & Bristol before moving to Stroud. He has a Pastoral Theology MA, majoring in inter faith studies, and is adviser to the Diocese of Gloucester on inter faith matters. He is the founder/curator of the Stroud Sacred Music Festival and a director of Ignition. He has been married to Ruth for 38 years and they have 3 brilliant sons.
Bryan is chair of the organising team of the Festival of Wonder. He has been privileged to see lives transformed through many simple acts of love and grace during over 15 years working with Marah and the Grace Network. He is also quite the petrol head!
Jane has lived on Rodborough Common for nearly 20 years and never ceases to be amazed by the glory of magnificent sunsets; a different wonder every evening. In the 1990’s Jane ran her own training company working mostly with young people on outdoor personal development courses in the Forest of Dean and more recently led Specially4U, a Stroud based ministry to adults whose needs are special. She loves walking, gardening, reading, travelling and Qigong but inclusive community is her passion.
Another of Ignition’s Directors, Anne has lived in Stroud for over 20 years volunteering and working at The Door in the heart of the town. She loves organising people, events and projects, always has a list and once upon a time she even built a plane.
Danny loves anything with two wheels especially trying to keep them rubber side down. He has worked with young people for the last 15 years and is passionate about helping them explore their spirituality and especially who they are and their place in the world.
Rosie has lived in and around the valleys of Stroud all her life- and currently The Ship Inn, in Brimscombe, is home to her and her young family. As well as enjoying the bustling community of pub life, she works for a local company who produce training for charities and the third sector. Rosie loves the radical, inclusive and grace-filled message of the gospel and keeping an array of weird and wonderful animals!
Martyn has spent 40 years working locally in the NHS – most recently in GP education – and loves supporting and seeing others develop their skills and expertise. He is a school governor, loves travel, walking and the outdoors, and a keen musician himself, he is always amazed at the power of music to touch, enrich and transform peoples lives.
Bill is a lifelong doodler gradually progressing to advanced doodling — Lover of paddleboarding and providing fondues from canoes –Trained a long time ago as a herdsman and milked a lot of cows — Lived and worked in central Africa doing Community Development — Worked in International development for over 35 years as a trainer and facilitator — Currently working on anti-human trafficking and modern slavery issues — Frequently facilitates therapeutic art workshops with asylum seekers and refugees —Passionate about enabling others to discover their creative gifts— Love chocolate fingers and Stroud beer — Once kept a chicken called Hilda Brazil
Andy is a director and writer, working in London, Leicester and Stroud.
He is most at home working in large-scale theatre, enjoying the logistical dexterity of keeping a show moving forward on a day to day basis as much as the extraordinary creative gestures you can achieve through the form.
He is particularly interested in reaching communities who do not naturally have access to the performing arts, and has had the great fortune of doing this with companies such as Blackheath Halls Opera, Loud Crowd Opera Company, and Kingdom Records.
Andy has previously worked as a director & associate director at The Orange Tree Theatre, Tobacco Factory Theatre, Regents Park Open Air Theatre, Union Theatre, Vienna State Opera, Longborough Opera Festival, The Tristan Bates, and Giffords Circus.
Andy has been the Associate Director at Giffords Circus since 2019 and is developing a new musical with Kingdom Records.
Tatiana Ozhiganova is an aerial gymnast, set-costume designer and art director who started her professional career at age 16 as an aerial performer after a degree in Dance Academy. With her strap act she has performed in some of the world’s most famous circuses such as Conelli (Zurich) and the Great Moscow circus. She won a gold prize at the International Circus Festival in Ukraine, silver prize at the International Circus Festival in Spain and silver prize at the International Circus Festival in France. She has performed on national TV, notably on the Paul O’Grady Show, was part of Britain’s Got Talent, and has worked on a Take That tour. She has also performed with Stroud’s own Giffords Circus. As a costume designer Tatiana has worked as a fashion designer on Lambertz Fashion Monday Night in Germany, was set and costume designer for the circus ‘Cortex’ UK, performs regularly at the London cabaret club and has worked on MSC cruise ships.