Eric Barker joins the Kepplewray Team as our new Chief Executive Officer.
Eric Barker has recently been appointed to the role of CEO at The Kepplewray Trust and is tasked with developing the strategic direction of the organisation to ensure that its mission and ethos are effectively maintained, enhanced and worked out in the delivery of its rich programme of outdoor activities. He will also be responsible for raising funds for the ongoing refurbishment and planned expansion of the Kepplewray Centre over the coming years.
He brings with him a wealth of experience gained from a diverse work history which has involved a variety of roles across both the public and private sectors. Most recently he was employed in developing and delivering economic regeneration projects for Cumberland Council and prior to that was part of a management team running a business in the southern lake district for 20 years. In his earlier career, he also spent several years working as a Police constable involved in community-based policing across the towns and villages of west Cumbria.
Alongside his working life, Eric has also been involved in church-based ministry for over 30 years and has a breadth of experience in teaching & preaching, leading public worship, and has served on several church leadership teams. In this context, he spent three years with Youth With a Mission in his early twenties working in mission teams across the UK, Tanzania and Denmark. In the last decade, he has been involved in short-term ministry teams delivering training to church leaders in Burundi East Africa and mission students in Idaho, USA. In addition and as part of his interest in people development Eric has also undergone training as a life coach and adult education tutor and he hopes that these skills will be put to good use in the context of Kepplewray.
He looks forward to supporting both staff and guests at the centre to maximise their own personal potential and is excited to be involved in helping Kepplewray to continue its mission of inspiring and supporting young people of all backgrounds and all abilities to discover the adventure of living life in all its fullness.