Meet the Celebrate Recovery UK Team
Where ever in the world you live, we'd love to keep you connected with Celebrate Recovery in the UK. To get in touch with one of our regional representatives please use the links provided below.Tony Turner instigated Celebrate Recovery in the UK in 1998 and has served as the UK Regional Director for Celebrate Recovery since 2008, overseeing its growth to almost 40 individual groups operating weekly at various locations across the UK. This requires the assistance of a strong and dedicated UK team who manage the work of Celebrate Recovery nationally.
Tony Turner
United Kingdom Director and Midlands, Wales & South of England CR Representative
Tony lives in Derby, England. He has been married for more than 40 years to Val and has been blessed with 2 children and 3 grandchildren.
Tony has served as Celebrate Recovery UK Regional Director since 2008, overseeing its growth to almost 40 individual groups operating weekly at various locations across the UK. This requires the assistance of a strong and dedicated UK team who manage the work of Celebrate Recovery UK.
Tony has previously served, along with his wife Val, as one of the pastors of Reach in Derby for over 35 years. Tony and Val have been a part of this church since 1980 and, after visiting Saddleback, started Celebrate Recovery UK initially in Derby in 1998. Tony and Val still oversee the weekly running locally of Celebrate Recovery in Reach Derby and are as passionate about this ministry today as they were 20 years ago.
Email Tony at
tony@celebraterecovery.co.uk
Catherine Robinson
North East & Scotland CR Representative
As a young adult, Catherine struggled with anorexia and bulimia. She found freedom by believing that God loves her and that His directions bring us peace and recovery. Read her full testimony here.
Her personal recovery experience ignited in her a desire for others to know that Jesus Christ can help them overcome their struggles too.
Catherine and her husband, Dave, moved from Lancashire to Tyne and Wear. After a few years in the North East, Catherine was invited to help develop a Celebrate Recovery ministry at her church in Newcastle. She has been the Ministry Leader since its 2005 launch at Jesmond Parish Church and has found in this programme the vehicle she needed to share Christ’s hope for change.
Email Catherine at catherine@celebraterecovery.co.uk
Kath Leigh
North West & Northern Ireland CR Representative
Kath is based in Lancaster and has 2 grown up sons, 1 daughter-in-law and 2 young grandchildren. She has been in Celebrate Recovery for 10 years and has served as ministry leader for 8 years and UK North West Rep for 4 years. Having found grace and healing for herself through working the 8 principles, Kath has a heart to see others find hope and freedom.
Email Kath at
kath@celebraterecovery.co.uk
Tony’s Vision for Celebrate Recovery
Back in the late 90’s, as a pastor in Derby, I was becoming overwhelmed with so many people in our congregation struggling with all sorts of issues and bound up with hurts, hang-ups and habits. Yet as I read the scriptures, Jesus clearly came to set the captives free. As we see in Psalm 146:7,
“The Lord sets prisoners free.”
In 1997, this prompted me to seek God for answers. Within a few weeks a leaflet was given to me about a ministry called Celebrate Recovery that was being run at Saddleback Church in California. It became clear that God was speaking to me about this ministry, so in October that year my wife Val and I went to a Purpose Driven Church Conference and whilst there met with Pastor John Baker to see if “Celebrate Recovery” could be used here in the UK.
Well, many of us know the answer to that question. The next 20 plus years was going to be an amazing adventure as we commenced our journey of Celebrate Recovery, a journey that would not only change our lives but many more lives here in Derby and across the UK.
For the past 13 years I have had the privilege of serving as Celebrate Recovery UK Director with a vision to help UK churches to start this great ministry.
My dream is to have a Celebrate Recovery running in every village, town and city, seven days a week. On 9th November, we celebrated our 20 year journey in running this amazing ministry.
Richard Cobb | International Director
Richard is based in the USA and supports Celebrate Recovery around the world. In 2015 Richard accepted the position of Celebrate Recovery International Director where he currently serves. Tony reports into Richard Cobb as the UK Director.
Richard and Dara Cobb married in January 2004 and 10 months later began leading a local Celebrate Recovery Group based in Decatur, Alabama, USA.
They attended every CR event possible in the Southeastern USA and in 2006 became State Representatives in Alabama where they served until Oct 2015.
They took several journeys outside the USA helping others know about Celebrate Recovery and the healing people can receive through a relationship with Jesus Christ and following the principles of recovery for years before being named director.
They have attended and participated in 19 CR Summits and many more CR conferences helping them to prepare in taking the message “Let the Nations be Healed” all over the world. Some of their highlight trips were to Austria, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, France, Haiti, Iraq, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, and United Kingdom. They are no stranger to Zoom, Skype, Ring Central or Teams with many online conference calls, helping CR groups and CR Reps whenever needed.
We count it all joy to get to serve our Lord in this capacity, it has not been an easy assignment, but instead, challenging and fulfilling at the same time. When we began serving as International CR Director, there were 18 International CR Reps, today there are over 60 including CR Directors in Australia, Brazil, Canada, all of Latin America, Philippines, Sweden, and United Kingdom. Today a growing list of 68 countries with a form of Celebrate Recovery and 27 languages are making a healing impact among the people of the world.
Board of Trustees
Our current Board of Trustees are passionate about bringing God’s love into local communities and playing their part in healing the hurting. Their remit is to guide and devlop the work of Celebrate Recovery across the UK and to build on what has already been achieved.
Dave Priestley
Chair of the Board of Trustees
My name is Dave Priestley and I have been connected with Celebrate Recovery since 2011. I have personally completed the CR program and can thus evidence first-hand how it changes people’s lives.
I’ve served in a number of volunteer roles across churches and strive to see God’s love reach the marginalised. God’s vision is that we all live together in love and harmony. Celebrate Recovery provides a fabulous pathway to that for hurting people. Dave lives in Derby and has previously worked in local manufacturing companies for almost 30 years. Together with his wife, in 2011, they started their own local business to help young people do better in school and improve their future outcomes. Outside of work, he enjoys going to the seaside, but is equally happy gardening and watching live sport.
Sue Ronaldson
Trustee (Finance)
My name is Sue Ronaldson and I have served as a Trustee for Celebrate Recovery UK since 2017 and my role on the board is to produce a financial report at our quarterly meetings. My husband and I first attended CR in 2006, we have been married since 1976 and have two children and five grandchildren. My background has always been in finance. On leaving full-time education I worked in banking for 10 years and left when my eldest child was born. I later worked part-time at our local Post Office for about 18 years. I have also served in my local church as treasurer for 13 years. I have been so blessed by attending and serving in Celebrate Recovery in the UK, it has for me been a life-changing experience. My heart is to see Celebrate Recovery in the UK grow and continue to see lives transformed by our higher power, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Andy Townsend
Trustee
My name is Andy Townsend. Having been involved with Celebrate Recovery for a number of years, I have had the privilege of seeing many lives transformed by Jesus through this amazing ministry. I am teacher by profession and have always had a passion to see people learn and grow, and ultimately to discover who God designed them to be. This is why I feel so enthusiastic about Celebrate Recovery, a life-transforming ministry which helps people to connect with God and enjoy the full life He has promised us all!
In addition to Dave, Sue and Andy, Catherine Robinson also sits on the Board of Trustees.