Staff Tutors

Simon Best has overall responsibility for Woodbrooke’s learning programmes. He is passionate about creating opportunities for Quakers to learn and grow individually and together. Simon is responsible for supporting the Swarthmore Lecture Programme.

Stuart Masters offers learning opportunities that explore the roots of the Quaker way, its theology, spirituality and relationship with other traditions

Timothy Ashworth draws on biblical study, retreat work and interfaith dialogue to illuminate the nature of spiritual transformation.

Tracey Martin facilitates courses on hope, nonviolence, peace and responses to the climate crisis. She has a particular interest in poetry and spirituality.

Betty Hagglund is Librarian and Learning Resources Manager and has overall responsibility
for Woodbrooke’s library and archive. She is particularly interested in early Quaker history and writings.

Rhiannon Grant is a life-long Quaker who researches and writes about religious language and practices. Her recent work includes ‘Telling the truth about God’ (Christian Alternative, 2019) and ‘Quakers Do What! Why?’ (Christian Alternative, 2020). She also supports our postgraduate programmes and research work.

Maud Grainger works on supporting Friends in their engagement with the climate crisis; through workshops, retreats and sharing her own experience. She also supports wider teaching on Quaker understanding of testimony and living our faith in the world.

Mark Russ is Programmes Coordinator for Equipping for Ministry. His interests include Christian and Quaker theology and the Bible, spirituality, intentional community and hope. Mark came to Quakers in his late teens, and spent a decade as a music teacher in secondary and primary schools in Birmingham and London. He holds MAs in Music Education from the Institute of Education and in Systematic and Philosophical Theology from the University of Nottingham.

Ben Pink Dandelion has worked at Woodbrooke since 1992. He teaches in the areas of Quaker history and theology as well as contemporary Quakerism. He has written in particular on the theology of Quaker worship, on how we can celebrate our Quaker faith and why we do things the way we do. Ben has also made a particular study of Quakerism in terms of wider Christian theology of the second coming of Christ. His main academic work is in the sociology of religion. He worships in Clitheroe, part of Pendle Hill Area Meeting.