Ampleforth Abbey Trust
The life and works of the monks of the Abbey of St Laurence are influenced by four jurisdictions: the Rule of St Benedict, the Constitutions of the English Benedictine Congregation, Canon [or Church] Law, and Civil law.
Ampleforth’s various Trusts and other legal bodies are subject to provisions of civil law, especially those elements pertaining to companies and registered charities.
In 1944, the entire estate, including the various parishes and outlying properties, was settled into a single deed and the deed became a registered charity. This is called the Ampleforth Abbey Trust. The works of the charity include the formation and subsequent ministry of Benedictine monks of Ampleforth Abbey, the maintenance of the monastic community and its property, education, the welcoming of guests and parish work in dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Trust board comprises lay and monastic trustees with oversight in a number of key areas, including safeguarding, strategy, finance, and estate management. The trustees meet bi-monthly.
Trustees
Fr Wulstan Peterburs OSB is Chair of the Ampleforth Abbey Trust. Fr Wulstan qualified as a Chartered Accountant and then taught Christian Theology in Ampleforth College before becoming a monk in 1998. He continued to work in the school and was then appointed Procurator in 2010, before becoming Headmaster of Ampleforth College 2016-2018. He was appointed Monastery Bursar in September 2019.
Fr Robert Igo OSB was born and educated in Manchester and worked at Manchester Royal Infirmary as a Student Nurse for three years in the 1970s. He was ordained priest in the Anglican Church in 1979 and served in parishes in Oldham, Sunderland and Hartlepool. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1987 and joined the monastic community at Ampleforth in August 1988. He was ordained a Catholic priest on 27 June 1993 and three years later was sent out as founding Prior of a new monastic foundation in Zimbabwe in 1996, the Monastery of Christ the Word in Macheke. He served initially as Prior from 1996-2000, then stepped aside to concentrate on retreat work and in 2005 he was appointed Prior again. On 5 January 2021 he was elected Abbot of Ampleforth. Over the years he has also worked in Systemic and Clinical Therapy.
Fr Chad Boulton OSB joined the monastic community in 1992 and worked as a Housemaster and Chaplain in Ampleforth College. He is currently Novice Master, responsible for vocations promotion, as well as being chaplain to one of the school boarding Houses.
Fr Bede Leach OSB was a quantity surveyor for a number of years before joining the monastic community in 1980. He taught briefly in the school and in 1989 became Assistant Procurator (Estate) and then Procurator from 1993-1997. Fr Bede has worked on a number of parishes and in the Hospitality team, and since 2012 has been parish priest of Our Lady & St Benedict, Ampleforth.
Fr Cedd Mannion OSB studied at the University of York and University College London. He joined the monastic community at Ampleforth in 2007, and taught Chemistry in the school from 2009-2011. Fr Cedd studied theology at St Benet’s Hall in the University of Oxford and was ordained priest in June 2014. From 2013-2019 he again taught Chemistry in the school and has also been a House Chaplain. In recent years he has been a Safeguarding Lead for the Abbey Trust.
Phillip Noyes OBE holds a Master of Philosophy degree and a social work qualification. After working for a local authority, he joined the NSPCC in 1980. He worked in the Rochdale NSPCC special unit and managed the Hackney NSPCC special unit which ran the child protection process there. From 1988 he directed NSPCC’s policy and public affairs, research, and training consultancy until in 2009 he was asked to redesign NSPCC’s local services. In 2014 he was appointed NSPCC chief advisor on child protection, a role that included leading on the NSPCC’s evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and advocacy work. Phillip has been professional advisor to the organisation Parents Against Injustice (PAIN); chair of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE); lead safeguarding trustee for a sexual health charity; and chair of a charity campaigning for the rights and protection of children. He was a member of the Home Office National Working Group on Sexual Violence against Children and Vulnerable Adults from 2013 to 2016. He is currently sits on an NHS Digital expert advisory group. In 2018, he was awarded the OBE for public service. In December 2019 he was appointed lead safeguarding trustee for AAT.
Edward Perry is Managing Director, Stanley Enterprise, Knowsley Estate, Merseyside. On behalf of the Earl of Derby, he manages two diverse and iconic business – Knowsley Safari and Knowlsley Hall – as part of the 16,000 acre Knowsley Estate. Through a senior management team, he leads 75 permanent employees (and up to 150 seasonal staff) and two leisure businesses with a £9m combined turnover. Edward was educated at Ampleforth College and his own children attended the school. He was appointed trustee in December 2019.
Joanna Taylor-Smith is the London-based Partner and Chief Financial Officer for the independent business consultancy Malcolm Hollis. Prior to her appointment to that post in 2018, Joanna had over 20 years’ experience managing companies’ finances on an international scale. She has worked with a number of organisations including McCann Worldgroup, MHP Communications and Porter Novelli.
Elements of Ampleforth’s works which are not part of the charitable trust (e.g. shops, St Alban’s Centre sports centre, commercial enterprises, lettings, etc.) are governed by a separate company established in 1952, Ampleforth Abbey Trading Limited, a private company limited by shares. Its board of directors comprises a number of monks and lay people.
Contacting the Trust
To contact the Ampleforth Abbey Trust please e-mail or write to the Clerk: Liam Kelly, lfk@ampleforthabbey.org.uk, Ampleforth Abbey, York YO62 4EN.
Click the below to read our key policies and procedures around Safeguarding, Whistleblowing and Complaints.
Strategic Plan 2022 - 26
In April 2022, Ampleforth Abbey Trust released 'Choosing a Future Together', a five-year plan providing a roadmap for the Ampleforth Monastic Community.