Beshara Trustees

Javida Bowers BEd

Javida has had a career in teaching specializing in English as a Second Language in Primary schools. This gave her a broad experience in working with both children and parents from different cultures and religious faiths. She now works as a Core Process Psychotherapist in private practice. Core Process is based on a contemplative Buddhist approach. She has for many years studied at the Beshara school at the Chisholme Institute and has recently facilitated a weekend meditation course there. She sees herself as an ongoing student.

Michael Cohen BSc, PhD

Michael studied Mathematics at London and Warwick Universities and did research at Newcastle. For many years he has taught A-Level Mathematics and Statistics at a London tutorial college. He has an abiding interest in the connections between science and spirituality.

Julia Dry, BA (Hons)

Julia studied Fine Art (Painting) and trained in Horticulture with the Royal Horticultural Society and at Pershore College. She works as a professional gardener in Gloucestershire and is a Director of Beshara Publications.

Elizabeth Roberts, MA Oxon, MPhil
Chairman

Elizabeth studied English at Oxford and Philosophical Inquiry at Glasgow University. For most of her life she has worked in education, from teaching English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia with V.S.O. to secondary school teaching, community education, and lecturing at Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities. More recently Elizabeth worked as adult guidance network coordinator for the Scottish Borders and as Team Leader with Careers Scotland. She has now turned her hobbies into her current job as a yoga teacher and practitioner of ayurveda.

Michael Tiernan

Michael hails from Sydney, where he developed a typical Aussie's fondness for outdoor pursuits. After pondering a life on the land, he thought better of it and went into health education for some years instead. When he moved to the UK in 1989, yet another career, this time in publishing, beckoned. Michael now works as a freelance copy-editor, typesetter, and proofreader, and is a partner in Anqa Publishing. He and his wife live in beautiful Northumberland.

Gill Williams BA (Hons)

Gill studied at the University of Leicester and has worked in education for many years, latterly focussing on working with young people with special educational needs. She has studied at the Beshara school since 1973 and has had the good fortune to attend local study sessions for the past thirty years. Gill also has studied 5 Rhythms dance movements, which have incorporated some of the spiritual exercises and movements taught by the students of Gurdjieff.

Lyndon Antle

A co-opted Trustee.