Nick Pitt
I started out in life as a software developer, designing software for the retail banking sector and spending far too much time working in the Middle East. I ended up working for ICE, going into primary schools and talking to children about Christianity! These two (rather disparate) occupations demonstrate so clearly how we can never presume to know exactly what it is that God has planned for our lives. (We can try and guess but we’re usually wrong – at least I was anyway!)
I was able to leave the IT profession in 2001. Still many years the ‘right side of 40’ I had plenty of time to embark upon a more meaningful endeavour. I’d long had a desire to work with children – particularly younger children – so in 2004 I undertook a PGCE course at Exeter University. Shortly after qualifying as a primary school teacher I started working at a school in Torquay, where I remained for several years.
During the summer of 2015, God opened a door for me to join ICE Torbay. During my Christian life I’ve always had a passion for working with young people and children, and this position created so many opportunities to do this, in a variety of creative and imaginative ways.
I’d spent a number of years at our church (Christ Church, Paignton) sharing the Gospel with children and young people, doing Bible teaching, games, drama, crafts and many more activities. I’d been actively involved in church-based youth and children’s work for over 10 years which gave me some vital experience to bring to my new role.
Hazel Sercombe
I was blessed to be brought up in a Christian family and to grow up with plenty of wonderful Christian role models. I was encouraged in my faith and supported in youth groups and summer camps. It was some of these people who inspired me to want to work with children and young people and to aspire to be a positive role model to them.
I trained as primary school teacher and worked in London until my children came along, when we moved to Devon; back to the South West where I grew up. Since then I have worked part time as a teacher and raised my family, as well as helping in church based youth groups and Sunday Clubs. In addition to this I have been privileged to volunteer at the same Christian summer camp that I went to as a teenager.
In 2017, the opportunity arose to volunteer with ICE Torbay and then God opened the door for me to become part of the ICE team and OTB Coordinator for Torbay. This has brought together all the skills I have learned over the years into a role serving God and working with children, the two things close to my heart.
Debbie Onslow
I moved from Dorset to Torbay in July 2015, having been a Speech & Language Therapist for 32 years in the NHS. This involved a lot of schools work, both in mainstream and special schools and blocks of input into Specialist Residential School settings.
On moving to Devon, I encountered Jesus during sung worship (the day after I moved!) and became a member of Roselands Community Church. I had the privilege to work as Manager of Time Out Coffee Shop and Community Centre for couple of years, before being sent out by the church into ministry in January 2021. For the past three years I have been undertaking Ministerial Formation and academic study at Bristol Baptist College and working on a part-time basis as a Pioneer Minister in Mental Health and Wellbeing in Paignton Baptist Church. The courses finish in May 2024.
Following a number of ‘God prompts’ I am excited to have the opportunity to join the team at ICE Torbay and look forward to getting to know staff and pupils in schools, introducing children to Jesus, sharing testimony when appropriate and collaborating with Nick and Hazel to develop new initiatives in the coming year.
Naomi Wilson
I’m really excited to be joining the ICE Torbay team part-time as their administrator. I trained as a dentist initially and together with my husband lived in central Asia for a number of years with a church-planting organisation. It was there that our son joined our family, and soon after that, we had to return to England because of the political situation. We are now living in a multicultural city in the north of England, trying to share Jesus with our neighbours and local community and being involved in children’s ministry at our church. Looking back, we can see God’s hand in everything, and can testify to His unwavering faithfulness and kindness.
Karen Silcox
My name is Karen and I work for a number of small charities both locally and nationally supporting with their business administration including ICE Torbay. I attend a church in Exeter with my husband and two children aged 13 and 9. In my spare time I like playing badminton and doing quizzes.
Judith Baker
In January 2022 I joined the ICE team as their part-time Administrator; helping to support the staff and Trustees with administrative, governance and marketing tasks. In January 2024 I stepped down from my paid post to support ICE in a voluntary capacity.
I’m married to Neil, and we have a son called Joshua. We are part of the church family at Upton Vale and I’m involved in the children’s team. I also work there as their Communications Lead. Prior to having Joshua, I worked at Upton Vale and had responsibility for running the building, the church’s rental properties and managed the office and caretaking team. All these experiences and skills I bring to use at ICE Torbay.
Trustees
George Bartlett, Chair
Graham Massey, Secretary
Gill Harris
David Ball
Kath Bartlett