saswtrust staff:
Tabz
‘Tabz’ (more formally known as David Taberner) has been our lead Schools Worker for almost a decade. He started pioneering youth work at just 18 years old, responding to a local need, filled with a passion he received through the 24-7 Prayer Movement as a relatively new Christian. Alongside this, Tabz actually studied civil engineering and project management to masters level, but through a growing passion for young people and God’s work, he found a calling to our ministry in late 2013 and made the brave step of a career change. Tabz is also particularly involved in Christ Church and the Southport Methodist Circuit as a preacher as well as other inter-church projects. He’s a semi-pro musician (in his limited spare time!), loves techie design projects, and has a slightly characteristic hairstyle!
Simon
Simon is our part-time Schools Worker, balancing this role with his work at Canning Road Church. He started youth work at 19 and has spent his career serving in churches and charities, including the Bible Society, where he helped reach a younger, digital-based audience with God’s word. Feeling called back to frontline ministry, Simon moved to Southport with his wife and two children. He enjoys nature, long walks, photography, and building connections between schools and church communities.
Phoebe
Phoebe joined SASW Trust in 2025 as our admin assistant, excited to be part of God’s work in Southport. She loves helping those in ministry focus on their passions by taking care of the practical details. Outside of work, Phoebe enjoys family time with her husband and two young children—whether going for walks, playing in the garden, or watching movies. She’s also a keen crafter, experimenting with knitting, sewing, and needle felting whenever she can.
Volunteers+partners
We couldn’t do any of the work we do without the support of a diverse bunch of volunteers. In fact, it would be counter to our ethos to even try without them! Engaging and equipping local church communities to be the change they want to see, making a lasting difference to children and young people is a central part of every project we run.
Sometimes we’re all hands on deck for projects like Mission Impossible. Other times there’s just a few of us, specifically trained in different areas, eg. pastoral conversation, mental health first aid, drama & communication.
We have several churches who don’t just partner with us in sourcing volunteers, but also with the involvement of their staff – not just invaluable youth workers, but also pastors, vicars, ministers, and outreach workers, to name a few! They never come with an ‘agenda’, other than simply to serve. Yet, so often we hear amazing stories of children, young people, and even families, beginning to engage with church events in the most beautifully organic way because of the way they have encountered our volunteers & partners.
We work closely with Scripture Union’s ‘Revealing Jesus Framework’ and provide training for volunteers through the likes of our ‘Youthscape Essentials’ course. Although, there’s plenty of jobs to do, just a quick induction could be all it takes for you to join us in making a difference – how about it?
trustees
We are blessed with a board of trustees to share the load of ensuring all is managed well behind the scenes, working together to strategise and discern our vision, keeping our staff to account, whilst raising the necessary funds to continue and extend the projects we run. They are an eclectic mix of clergy and school staff, to software developers and grandparents -each member invaluably gifted.
You!
We believe you have a place in our mission! Whoever you are, whatever your background, stage of life, range of skills, or experience – the children and young people we work with NEED you! There’s plenty of behind the scenes jobs that you might never have thought of, as well as the face-to-face work.
Like the old proverb says, “it takes a village to raise a child”. So if you know children, through family or otherwise, you’re in the perfect place to continue the conversation, supporting them in their exploration beyond school. If not, always remember our “Make A Difference” stages on Page 3: Keep reading, Spread the word, Support us & Pray!
