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Rev. Bernard Thompson

Bernard was converted to Christ in 1961 and trained in Birmingham from 1964-1967. He first took up pastoral ministry in Stoke-on Trent followed by fifteen years in Bridgnorth Baptist Church, Shropshire. He came to Ridgeway in 1987 to lead the work here.

Bernard has been involved in wider ministry in Germany, America, Canada, Kenya and Zanzibar since the late 70's. He was a founder member of 'Life in the Spirit' Leaders Conference and now heads up the Life In The Spirit Network. He is a director of Schools Outreach and an adviser of Willowdene Farm Drug Rehab Centre. Bernard is Executive director of Teamwork Support Ministries which supports pastors and churches in Kenya, and gives input into churches and leaders in this country.

Bernard is married to Chris, they have three children Andrew, Kathy and Martin, and seven grandchildren.

Neville Burt

Neville Burt was born in 1946 in the north east of England where his family has strong roots in Methodism. After he left home he started working at the Hydraulics Research Station (now HR Wallingford) where he still works as a civil engineer specialising in dredging of ports and harbours.

A founder member of Ridgeway, he has been an elder since 1982. His late wife, Jennie, was a nurse at Wallingford Community Hospital. Neville has three children: Matthew, married and living in Benson, Daniel, a photographer in the RAF and Rachel, teaching in Streatley. So far his family has provided him with three grandchildren, all boys.

Neville is also a trustee of Ridgeway, Chairman of the Executive Committee responsible for The Fountain, and Honorary Pastor of Brightwell Free Church.

Ted Ripley

Ted was born in Huddersfield in 1929. He studied art and after National Service in the RAF he worked in a design studio in Leicester. Ted moved to Reading to establish a Graphic Design course at Berkshire College of Art and Design, he also developed a freelance design practice. Ted married Ruth and they had two children, Mark and Sarah. He was widowed in 1970. In 1973 Ted married Vi. He was widowed again in 1997.

Ted had a Methodist upbringing, and was baptised as an adult. He is a founder member of the Ridgeway Community Church, and with Vi set up the Fountain Christian Bookshop.

He is an elder of Ridgeway, a director of the Fountain and continues in practice as an illustrator and artist.

Terry Mitchell

Terry was born and brought up in Brighton. Terry and Trish have been married for 22 years and have two children, Dan aged 20 and Chloe, 17. Dan is studying Music Technology and is a keen Drum and Bass DJ. Chloe works as a nursery nurse currently, and is intending to return to college soon! Terry, having been Head of Housing at West Berkshire Council, is now employed at Amey Business Services, and is responsible for the development of Amey's activities in the Local Authority Sector. Combining his Local Authority and Education Property experience, Terry is leading Amey Business Services Building Schools for the Future Programme. He has been part of the ODPM Task Force on Strategic Partnerships and is regularly consulted on Public Private Partnerships and their development.

Terry plays golf, where his keenness is perhaps more prominent than his skill, and beats the drums in his spare time. Trish is one of the Medical Secretaries at the Wallingford Doctor’s Surgery.

Like the Blairs, Tuscany is their favourite holiday destination!

Quillon Harpham

Quillon was born in 1970 and grew up in the South West. He has been a Christian since 1979 and is married to Sandy. They have two children and have lived in Wallingford since 1993. Quillon works in the Informatics Department at HR Wallingford, specialising in analsysis and design, web based mapping and GIS. He studyied Mathematics at Brunel and Bath Universities.

Quillon plays the guitar, likes board games, history and archaeology and is responsible for the cartoons on this Website.

Sandy is a Higher Level Teaching Assistant, having also been a Staff Nurse at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford specialising in home dialysis. She plays the piano, guitar and saxophone.

David Locke

David describes himself as having a “dolly mixture” background having started life in the Midlands before completing most of his school age years in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. He was brought up in a Christian home but went “cold” in his teens before coming back to the Lord and being baptised in 1990. Until 2000 David worked in the business world until a clear call came from the Lord to join BMS World Mission as Finance Director. He sees his role at BMS as one for which God had been preparing him for a number of years. He is also serves as a Governor at Didcot Girls School.

Before moving to Oxfordshire, David and his family were members of Kings Norton Baptist Church in Birmingham for over ten years. Now members of Ridgeway Community Church, David and his wife run an all age house group in Didcot which can be described as “hectic but happy”.

He is passionately committed to Christians getting alongside the needy in whichever communities God has placed them – whether in the UK or overseas.

He is married to Joy and they have three children. He describes one of the best and most humbling events of the last few years as when he had the privilege of baptising their eldest daughter at Ridgeway and hearing her testimony.