About Us

We are an independent charity working with Chester Cathedral and Chester Diocese with whom we have a creative and effective partnerships meeting our joint aims of physical and spiritual transformation. Transforming Lives Together is also part of the Church Urban Fund Together Network of 21 related faith-based charities across England, linked by faith and driven to tackle poverty, loneliness and social inequality. Being part of the Together Network gives national support to local action, helping to link churches and other community organisations by providing resources, signposting and support.

Who We Are

Transforming Lives Together is a locally based ‘faith in action’, people-driven, passionate advocate for social justice. We aim to bring people together by stimulating and supporting church social action to help communities flourish and thrive in the Chester Diocese.

What We Do

In generating church and people-led social action we especially work to respond to food poverty and social isolation issues. Our projects strengthen children’s wellbeing, family resilience and bring diverse communities together; combating child holiday hunger and adult loneliness. We build meaningful relationships between people and their communities, fostering stronger bonds and supportive social networks. Inspired by our Christian values, all the projects and services we provide in communities are open to people from all backgrounds, regardless of their beliefs.

Why We Do It

Transforming Lives Together does its charitable work because it wants to see all people and their communities flourish and enjoy life in all its fullness, with those in poverty having a better chance of realising their unique gifts and potential. Our work is based on God’s command to ‘Love thy neighbour’. Christian social action is different to secular social action because our faith brings with it particular ideas, commitments and motivations that will contribute to the good we are trying to achieve. As a result, loving our neighbour comes from our faith, a faith which becomes active through love.

Our team

Wendy Robertson

Community Missioner - Wendy has worked extensively in the area of social exclusion in the voluntary and non-profit sectors, particularly around the issues of drug misuse, young mums, unemployment, poverty and loneliness. She has much experience of working in partnership with churches and the statutory sector and is especially interested in the effects of social deprivation and how church mobilisation can respond to this. Before joining TLT in 2016, Wendy spent 9 years supporting churches to tackle inequality on the Wirral, Merseyside. | Wirral

07787 712783 Email

Ruth Bull

Assistant Community Missioner - Ruth has experience church planting overseas, and has worked in a number of parishes across the Diocese, working alongside her vicar husband. She lives in Bredbury, where she is a licensed Reader at St Mark's, heading up various ministries and is involved in Food Bank and CAP life skills. She has a heart to see communities transformed by the good news of Jesus, as churches and groups connect with the people they encounter through social action, welcome and hospitality. | Stockport

07577 902205 Email

Edie Oje

Admin Support - Edie joined TLT in October 2022 and provides administrative & IT support for the team. She also works part time with the finance department at Chester Cathedral. While her background is in Computer Networking & Security, she has mostly worked in hospitality for about 8 years and helps her partner run their business in Chester. Away from work, Edie is an avid cyclist.

Mike Leigh

Technical Support | Stalybridge

Trustees

Rev. Dr Andrew Knight

Board Member - Andrew is Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Vicar of Bowdon Parish Church. Previously Andrew was Vicar for 7 years in Partington a large overspill social housing estate from Manchester. Andrew is an Ambassador for the charity People Against Poverty with whom he has worked with street children and their families in Romania, and supports projects that reach the homeless in the city of Manchester. Before ordination Andrew was a commercial services manager in a scientific pharmaceutical research company and is a research chemist by training. | Partington

Rev. Dr Margaret Jones

Board Member - Margaret is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. Prior to ordination, Margaret taught, for over 20 years, in an inner-city high school in Manchester, where she learned to care for the ethnically diverse communities living there and to be particularly concerned for the poor and disadvantaged. After ordination, Margaret spent 12 years in ministry, first in Altrincham, and then in Whaley Bridge, before retiring in 2019, before undertaking a doctorate in Practical Theology, exploring new models of community engagement to address issues of social justice and environmental concern. Her thesis identifies that this organic, social enterprise form of partnership offers the established church a means to engage in community-based social action in today’s world. | Sale

Rev. Tina Upton

Board Member - Tina is the Rector of Holy Trinity Church in Blacon, Chester, where she has been since 2012. Before ordination, she was a psychiatrist, and her medical practice showed her the needs of those who have broken lives or who suffer poverty. She has also been instrumental in working across agencies to improve what is provided for young people across the community. | Blacon

Vicki Wells

Treasurer - Vicki qualified as a chartered accountant and worked in publishing and insurance. She is now works with local charities and her church. | Hale

Myrtle Lacey

Board Member - Myrtle is a third generation Salvationist and is the Community Team Leader at a Salvation Army community church. She has helped to develop a broad spectrum of community based services and activities including a Place of Welcome, a memory café for those living with dementia and their carers, lunch club and food distribution. Myrtle is also a member of the salvation Army’s Emergency response Team for the North West and North Wales and has latterly become involved in Anti-Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery work. | Wirral

Kath Leigh

Board Member - Kath was a social worker for many years prior to becoming Lead Community Builder for TLT in 2016. She is passionate about the church’s role in social justice alongside discipleship and enjoys talking to individuals and groups about how this can be achieved. With her wealth of experience in community social action Kath become a Board Member of TLT in January 2022. | Stalybridge

Rev. Catherine Cleghorn

Board Member - Board Member – Catherine is Rector of St Martin’s, in Ashton upon Mersey. Her curacy was in Crewe, where she became more aware of the needs of diverse communities in areas of deprivation and low aspiration. These experiences, together with volunteering in Partington during ordination training, teaching in East Manchester and a visit to Rwanda with her theological college, helped her to see how God works abundantly through organisations when they work together for the good of the community. A Place of Welcome was launched at her church in 2022 and has had a hugely positive impact on individuals and also the community as a whole.