Meet The Team
Our Team
In Summer 2024, Horizon Life Training saw a huge shift, with a brand new team being put in place across the board! A new group of trustees were formed, and new employees were to be hired. Some vacancies still aren’t filled, so if you want to join this team, please check out our Current Vacancies.
Details of who’s who, is below!
Our In House Team
We are currently looking for the right people to join our team. For more information please check out our “Current Vacancies” page.
Our Trustees
In 2024, Horizon Life Training saw a change with the old trustees stepping down, and a new team of trustees stepping into the trustee roles. This group of lovely people meet regularly and have been instrumental in getting the centre reopening later this year! They all feel like God has given them a call to support Horizon Life, and have answered that call by becoming trustees.
Chair of Trustees
Ruth Nabi
Hi, my name is Ruth and I’m the new Chair of Trustees at Horizon Life Training. After a long period of service the previous Trustees have asked to handover to a new team to take us forward. I am no stranger to HLT and Teen Challenge having left my career in local government management in
2009 and moving with my family to start our journey with transforming lives working for Teen Challenge in South Wales.
It was in March 2012 that we then received our call to move to Harrogate, along with my husband Paul and our children Bethany and Samuel, to help set up and launch HLT where we served until 2014.
At the end of 2014 I joined Christians Against Poverty initially serving in the local church as a Debt centre Manager for 7 year and since 2016 have served as Area Manager for North & East Yorkshire with the charity.
I served as trustee for HLT briefly during 2021 and 2022 and returning in 2024 feels like coming home. I was overwhelmed to be asked to take on this challenge, but confident in God’s ability to work in and through each one of our amazing team for His glory.
My heart is to see residents loved and supported in God’s fully functional family and to see them reach their potential in life, the workplace and serving in the local church for the mission to which we have all been called.
Trustee
Becky Morrell
I’m Becky, married to Mark for 32 years and as we contemplated one of life’s crossroads, when our 4 children still lived at home, God answered a simple prayer to use our farm for His glory. We were then privileged to watch as God provided the amazing purpose built centre, Horizon Life Training, in some of our old farm buildings.
We have loved getting to know so many of the residents over the last 13 years and watching them develop through discipleship, being part of a community, taking up work placements, gaining qualifications and then going on to live restored lives.
We are thankful to those who have worked hard for the residents benefit over the years and also for the incredible work of Teen Challenge and other Christian residential rehab centres, who’s foundation this work is built on.
We are excited to be more involved as we start this new phase and have been overwhelmed at the support, passion and sacrificial giving there is for the continuation of this, God’s work in people’s lives.
We are now praying for those who God is currently calling by name and rescuing from addiction and we can’t wait to meet them in the future.
Trustee
Andy Paterson
I am Andy and I am married to Lauren. I entered the Teen Challenge program over 15 years ago where I was set free from heroin addiction. I continued living and working there for 3 years, eventually becoming a support worker in the same centre where I was a resident.
After Teen Challenge, I married Lauren and we both enrolled in Regents Theological College together where we studied for our degrees. God even enabled me to go on and complete a Masters, despite previously not finishing secondary school.
After that, I became a Minister in Training with the Elim Pentecostal Churches and was invited to lead their Malvern Hills church. After 3 years, I was ordained as a minister and we answered God’s call to move to Harrogate where we have the privilege of leading the Elim church here and of raising our 2 beautiful little girls.
It is an honour to be serving Jesus alongside my wife and to be invited to be a trustee of HLT, a charity which helps people who are in the very same situation I was once in myself.
Trustee
John Whitehead
Hi I’m John. I worked in the mortgage industry
for 30 years at a senior management level. I
moved to Knaresborough in 1994 with my family
and immediately became part of Life Destiny
Church, where I served on the leadership team
and as a trustee for 25 years and as Associate
Pastor for 20 years.
I am excited to be able to join the trustees
of HLT because I have seen so many lives
transformed by our amazing God through the
work of this organisation.
Trustee
Vernon Roosevelt
Hi I’m Vernon. As a long-standing trustee of
this great organisation I am excited about and
looking forward to the fresh relaunch of HLT.
I feel it will once again be the Christ centred
lifeline being given to men to assist them in
fulfilling their God given potential and making
a positive mark in society that can never be
erased. Jesus said, “Follow Me and I will make
you fishers of men.” Here at HLT we don’t
just give them a fish, we help teach them how
to become fishermen, who in time will teach
others. I think that’s plenty to be excited about!