Caroline Newton

I have been a Companion for the last five years, and have been a member of the newly formed Hub for the last year, a role which I have hugely enjoyed and valued. Living in Nottinghamshire I am part of a small local contemplation group, and we hope to extend CF activities in the Midlands further over the coming year.

I enjoy working on vision and strategy, and have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Shortly after leaving university I set up a small company distributing giftware across the UK, and today I still work as a director within this business. Six years ago whilst visiting Kenya with a fellow Companion, we were drawn to the plight of a small impoverished rural community. On our return we set up a charity, and today 25% of my time is spent developing projects and sourcing funding for the work there.

I am the mother of three children. The youngest, now 18, has Down Syndrome. After his birth I wanted to ensure that his opportunities were maximized, and I retrained as a Speech Therapist. This led to my delivering speech therapy one day a week to over 20 children with DS for ten years up until 2013. Developing this interest I joined the Board of Trustees of a Special Needs Pre School, and was the Chair of this Board for six years before retiring from this role last year.

In the midst of this naturally active personality I have discovered the truth that I need to balance my ‘doings’ with interior silence and space. Contemplative Fire has been a home where I can experience this inward journey alongside like-minded individuals, and where I have found support to take the steps of faith the journey has called for. In standing as a trustee I hope to use these varied skills to support the community as we continue to explore what it means to ‘Travel Light, and Dwell Deep’.