Our trainers
- Ruth Bradbrook BSc (Hons) PGCE
Ruth Bradbrook has worked with young people at risk for over 15 years, first as a face to face practitioner with Fairbridge and Outward Bound and, latterly, in staff and organisational development as Training and Development Manager for Fairbridge. She then independently ran her own development training and consultancy business. In addition to her teaching degree, Ruth is an accredited Facilitator with the Institute for Development of Human Potential, a certified Reality Therapy Practitioner and is qualified to deliver the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Ruth's training style is responsive, enjoyable and jointly routed in theoretical principles and pragmatism.
- Richard Cooke BA (Hons), PGD
Richard Cooke originally developed his youth work practice working face to face with youth at risk for Fairbridge. More recently he has run an outdoor education and development training business, working with a variety of clients across the UK. He has a broad range of coaching and leadership qualifications as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Outdoor Education from Edinburgh University’s Moray House School of Education. Richard has formulated an effective training style that is experiential, participative and responsive.
- Andrew Woodfine HND
Andrew has 14 years experience as a development trainer, specialising in training NEET young people and training youth practitioners. He has an easy, flexible and off-beat training style that is very interactive. He develops a swift rapport with his clients and is skilled at adapting his approach to enage and motivate. With a background in mountaineering, Andrew uses wilderness settings as an effective development tool, and has worked extensively worldwide. In addition, he is a qualified MBTI and NLP practitioner and incorporates Reality Therapy into his training programmes.
- Pippa Adamson - B.A. (Hons)
Pippa Adamson has worked for several years with young people in a Supported Housing context and is particularly interested in developing communication skills and in creating rapid and lasting change. She holds a Diploma in Facilitation, Leadership and Coaching from the Institute for the Development of Human Potential and a Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy and NLP coaching. As a coach and mentor to people who work with young people and other groups in the not-for-profit sector, Pippa’s training style is facilitative, experiential and grounded in the practical.
- Angie Belcher
Angie Belcher has over 10 years' experience of facilitation, coaching and project management, Specialising in using the arts to encourage creative thinking, confidence and ambition realisation. She also has extensive experience of using group work with excluded, challenging and vulnerable people and their workers, to support their personal and professional development. Angie has worked in Arts Management, designing and creating courses, programmes and projects for artists, performers and writers. Drawing on her experience as an actor, director, and stand up comedian, creative producer and poet, she creates entertaining workshops to make the learning process fun and memorable. Angie is a graduate of the Institute for the Development of Human Potential.
- James Whitham
Has spent the last 10 years working and volunteering with young and vulnerable people in a variety of youth organisations including Fairbridge as a face-to-face practitioner. He has a degree in Outdoor and Environmental Education and has completed a graduate apprenticeship in development training. Currently working as an associate trainer for Fairbridge Training, James delivers training to other practitioners as well working with several other charities training vulnerable youth groups, schools and graduates. His continuing professional development includes a Reality Therapy Certificate, Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming and an Open University Pyschology conversion course.
- Louise Willis-Keeler B.A (Hons) MA
Louise Willis-Keeler has worked with vulnerable young peopl in an international context for almost a decade. Working in both formal and informal environments Louise has developed her practice knowledge with drug service users, youth offending, looked after children, young carers and NEET young people. Having a Masters Degree in Community and Youth Work combines Louise's experience with the fundamental theorectical principles behind working more effectively with young people. Louise's facilitation style is informative and participative, encouraging delegates to draw upon their own experiences of working with young people, especially the ability to use humour and have fun!
- John Martin
John is a respected practitioner with over a decade's experience of working face-to-face with young people in Glasgow. He has been heavily involved in the design and delivery of a wide variety of issue-based courses, aimed at tackling knife crime and antisocial behaviour in some of Scotland's toughest settings, including young offenders institutions. His extensive repertoire of outdoor qualifications is complemented with a mix of soft skills enabling him to spark opportunity for change through choice. John's delivery style is experiential, and he uses his boundless energy and creativity to enhance the learning process through doing.
- Matthew Berman
Matt Berman B.A. (Hons), has been an English teacher since 1999, both in the UK and in North East Asia. He has worked as a youth practitioner with NEET and vulnerable young people within a tutoring context for the last five years. At Fairbridge he has set-up and coordinated their accredited Functional Skills, (English and Maths), programmes. Matt has also brought his experience to other local/national youth charities, training providers as well as universities and large, retailers where he currently manages learning and development programmes within youth homelessness, youth justice work place and academic environments. Matt believes young people have a contribution to make and a voice in shaping provision and continues to advocate the youth council participation agenda so that young people gain access to organisational planning and strategy.