You stepped down as CEO of STORM in April 2021. What’s been happening for you over the last year?

I’ve learned so much in my time at STORM and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be able to use that to further something I am passionate about.

As a Christian and growing up gay, I came to a realisation that the Church was at odds with who I was becoming. I decided that I would no longer go to church after my confirmation. My ministry would be elsewhere, in helping others as much as I can. Through my work in suicide prevention, I was aware too of the pain and isolation people can feel when questioning their faith and sexuality.

I wandered along without a church for many years, until I saw that my local church in Didsbury was holding a Pride event in the Church gardens. I went along and spoke to the Reverend Nick Bundock about why they were hosting the event. They had clearly been on an extremely difficult journey after the death by suicide of a young girl from their church family. Lizzie Lowe was just 14 years old and before she died, she had been struggling to reconcile her faith and sexuality.

This was in 2018 so at the time I was still CEO of STORM. I offered to help by providing suicide prevention training to the clergy and others at the church and from that I was able to reconnect with my church family.

Interest in what St James & Emmanuel had done was phenomenal. Nick was inundated by enquiries from all around the world. We held a conference in 2019 and from that Church for Everyone was founded.