Joanna is a presenter, actress and author of the children's book What's Up: 30 encouragements to fuel your faith. She is best known for her role as a presenter on CBeebies and is passionate about creativity and her faith in Jesus. Joanna is thrilled to be hosting Big Start again in 2027!

Marie is an author, speaker and Director of FORMA Ministry School and Network for Hillsong UK. Passionate about developing and equipping others, she writes, teaches and creates resources to help people grow in faith, leadership and character. Marie serves on the boards of Kyria and GenZeal, as well as being part of the Spring Harvest Planning Group.

Marie will be hosting the Gathering Celebration in Minehead and the Pursuit Celebration in Skegness.

Dave Brackenridge is a Scottish musician, pastor, and charity founder who’s spent his life trying to reach people with the gospel. Previously a youth pastor, he went on the found an award-winning charity using music and mental health education in schools. Dave is now senior pastor of Home Church Scotland, and also national director/CEO of British Youth for Christ. He's known for a preaching style that’s direct, story-driven, and unapologetically biblical. 

Dave will be speaking in the Pursuit Celebration in Skegness on Tuesday 6th April.

Tarn is the CEO of the national fostering and adoption charity, Home for Good and also an adoptive mum to two incredible boys. Previously Tarn (as affectionately known) was interim CEO at CapitalMass compiling the next ten-year strategy for social action across the Diocese of London. She is a seasoned public speaker, author and executive coach and has 20 years of ministerial experience as well as a background working in FTSE100 companies. 

Andy works for Peterborough Diocese in their Children's young people and families team and worked full time in youth ministry for local churches for ten years.

In his spare time, he plays guitar and sings and enjoys leading worship.

Andy will be leading the 11-16s youth programme in Skegness.

Dez is the founder and CEO of Spark2Life, an award-winning 'faith based not faith biased' charity, working with medium to high-risk young people/adults.  He has been through the criminal justice system - at 17 he was imprisoned for manslaughter culminating in him finding faith and becoming an Ordained Minister. Dez has written an autobiography ‘Convicted or Condemned’; is a qualified Therapist; trains professionals on trauma awareness; served as a Prison Therapist and a sessional Prison Chaplain. Dex recently joined the Spring Harvest Planning Group.

Dez will be speaking in the Pursuit Celebration on Wednesday 7th April.

Gavin Calver is the CEO of the Evangelical Alliance. He has a burning passion to see the church working together to share the Gospel throughout the UK. Formerly the leader of Youth for Christ and chair of Spring Harvest, he’s an ordained evangelist, a regular public speaker, and has authored seven books.

Gavin will be speaking in the Gathering Celebration on Wednesday 31st in Minehead and Wednesday 7th in Skegness.

Most Rev. Dr. Joseph D’Souza is an internationally respected Christian leader, civil rights advocate and Archbishop of the Good Shepherd Church of India. As President of the All-India Christian Council and founder of Dignity Freedom Network, he champions religious freedom, social justice, and the dignity of marginalised communities. Passionate about creating opportunities for those affected by social exclusion, exploitation, and interfaith tensions, he inspires the global Church to bring transformative change by addressing both spiritual and practical needs.

Bishop Joseph will be speaking in Minehead in the Gathering Celebration on Thursday 1st April and in Skegness he will be a guest in the morning 'Living Room' session on Thursday 8th April.

Allison is Associate Pastor at Lifecentral Church in Halesowen alongside her husband Leon, where she has also served as an elder for 19 years.
Allison is an experienced healthcare professional; including work in the NHS, higher education, general and private practices and within the voluntary sector as a nurse, counsellor, supervisor and teacher. She has been a registered nurse for 38 yrs, with a PhD in Emotional Intelligence, and MA is Psychodynamic Counselling.

Allison and her husband Leon will be hosting the church leader's stream.

Leon is the lead pastor of Lifecentral Church, a multi-site church based in Halesowen. He is also one of founders of the Further Faster Network, helping churches to grow by reaching people currently not engaged with church. Leon is part of the Spring Harvest Planning Group.

Leon and his wife Allison will be hosting the church leader's stream each morning.  He will also be hosting the Gathering Celebration and speaking in the Pursuit Celebration on the final morning.

Along with his wife Rachel, Jason is the lead at St Luke’s Blackburn – a youth resource church for Blackburn Diocese. They’re role as a youth resourcing church includes key events which gather young people, coaching clergy and training youth work volunteers. Previously Jason was a youth worker, a lecturer for a Christian thinktank, an events organiser and a Schools conference presenter.

Jason will be co-hosting the evening chat show with his wife, Rachel.

Canon Rachel Gardner has 20+ years of experience in Christian youth ministry; has authored several books and hosts the Talking Youth Ministry podcast. Rachel serves as Director of Partnerships at Youthscape, is an Ambassador for Home for Good, and co-leads St Luke's, Blackburn where she is also Youth Ambassador for the Blackburn Diocese. Married to Jason, they have two children and a poodle!

Rachel will be co-hosting the evening chat show in Skegness with her husband Jason, and also speaking in the Gathering Celebration on the final morning.

Debra is the national director and founder of Redeeming our Communities (ROC) which aims to bring about community transformation by creating strategic partnerships. She has over twenty years of experience in bringing together organisations towards the goal of social transformation. Debra was recently appointed as Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester.

Debra is a member of the Spring Harvest Planning Group and also on the Essential Christian Board (the parent charity of Spring Harvest).

She will be on the Event Leadership Team, overseeing Pastoral and Prayer Ministry.

Simon Guillebaud spent 20 years in war-torn Burundi, and is the Founder of Great Lakes Outreach, working with 28 nation-shaping organisations out there. He’s authored six books and is host of the ‘Inspired’ podcast.

Simon will be speaking in Skegness in the Gathering Celebration on Thursday 6th April.

Philippa is an acclaimed UK singer-songwriter known for her uplifting blend of Gospel, Pop, and Country. With over 1,500 shows in 25 countries, she’s won fans from Leona Lewis to Lionel Richie with her relatable songs and soulful vocals. Signed with Integrity Music, Philippa has released songs like "Everything is Possible", which has become a hopeful soundtrack encouraging believers around the world. 

Philippa will be guest worship leader in Skegness on Tuesday 6th April, alongside Evie Loose in the Gathering Celebration, and also part of the After Hours on Wednesday 7th April.

Joel spent most of his teenage years growing an online following through YouTube & Instagram, becoming a social media influencer and travelling the country presenting shows. Despite such success, he struggled with his identity and the subtle trap of seeking worth through likes and followers. Today he’s married to Emily and works for Kintsugi Hope heading up engagement. Kintsugi Hope seeks to create a world where mental and emotional health is understood and accepted, helping to establish safe and supportive communities for everyone to grow and flourish.

Joel is leading the 16-18s youth programme in Skegness.

Anna Hawken is the Parenting for Faith Ministry Lead at BRF Ministries. She hosts their podcast and presents their babies and toddlers course. Anna is also governor at the local first school and active in children's ministry in her church. She is the author of 'Being God's Child: A Parent's Guide'. She lives in Milton Keynes with her husband Matt and their four children.

Anna is leading the 0-4 programme in Skegness.

Rob & Nat will be leading the 8-11 programme in Skegness. They are presenters, creatives, children’s workers and co-founders of 4Front Theatre - a touring Christian theatre company.

As creators of the YouTube channel ‘Virtual Sunday School’, they are excited to be returning to Spring Harvest to run the 8-11s programme.

Sammy is a creative evangelist and preacher, who recently graduated from Nazarene Theological College with a BA in Biblical Studies. She is part of The Message Trust in soul rap duo SoulBox, which travels around the UK and beyond sharing the gospel with young people. Sammy longs to see people transformed by the gospel and equipped to live life to the fullest. She is also a member of the Spring Harvest Planning Group.

Sammy will be speaking in the Gathering Celebration on Monday night in both Minehead and Skegness, as well as in the 'Living Room' sessions each morning, plus hosting the Pursuit Celebration in Minehead!

Presenter, Actor and Royal Television Society award-winning writer Ashley Joseph has been involved in many well known TV shows, such as the BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran and Justin's House. He has also written for Supertato, Dog Squad & Playtime Towers on CBeebies and Stan & Gran on Milkshake/Nickelodeon.  He’s also an accomplished theatre performer on stages like The Barbican, Regents Park Theatre & Shifters in the West End.

Ashley is looking forward to being back with the Big Start team for his 3rd year!

Phil is an evangelist and missiologist at the Evangelical Alliance. He is passionate about making Jesus known and the power of friendship. He is an avid runner, enthusiastic waterskier and once broke the world record for the longest five-a-side football match. Phil is also the author of Story Bearer and The Best of Friends and an award winning poet.

Phil will be speaking in Minehead in the Gathering Celebration on the final morning, and also hosting SH Home - our online live broadcast - from Skegness.

Evie is a worship leader, songwriter and artist based in London. She is the Worship and Creative Director of St Dionis Church in Fulham and last year at Spring Harvest, she led worship in the Gathering with some special guests. She’s so excited to be back again leading the Gathering worship in Skegness!

Andi and Holly are all about family at heart. They have three daughters and spend their time leading the ministry of Kids UK.

Andi is director Kids UK and a passionate Children’s and Family Evangelist with a gift for bringing the gospel truths to life with puppets, song and stories. Holly has spent many years sharing her love of dance with children and young people through dance schools and church groups.

Together, they spend their days visiting primary schools leading assemblies, workshops, and children’s mentoring sessions. Andi regularly speaks at churches leading their Sunday services , family events, and training. They are both members of Children Worldwide as well as actively  involved in overseeing the children and youth work in their home church. 

Andi & Holly will be leading the 5-7s programme in Skegness.

Aaron is the Head of Mission at Fusion Movement, is married to Desarie and lives in Manchester. Aaron carries a deep passion to see awakening among students, equipping churches and empowering the next generation to live all in for Jesus. He is committed to championing the local church to be in the forefront of mission to students.

Aaron will be speaking in Skegness in the Gathering celebration on Tuesday 6th April.

Rob Parsons, OBE, is the founder of Care for the Family, a national charity which aims to strengthen family life and help those who face family difficulties. An international speaker and best-selling author of more than 25 books including The Heart of Success, The Sixty Minute Father and his bestseller, A Knock at the Door. He has spoken across the world to more than a million people in live events. Rob is married to Dianne and they have two children and five grandchildren.

Rev Dr Cris Rogers is Director of Mission for the Church of England in Birmingham.  He has a deep passion for discipleship and runs the weekly podcast Making Disciples and wider ministry of Making Disciples. Cris is chair of the Spring Harvest Planning Group.

Cris will be Bible teaching in Minehead in 2027, and hosting the morning 'Living Room' sessions in Skegness.

Zo is a worship leader and songwriter based at Gas Street Church in Birmingham. She’s passionate about creating open, authentic spaces in worship and writing songs that help people connect with God. Zo loves encouraging young people and in her free time you’ll find her in a good coffee shop with a friend!

Zo will be leading worship in the Pursuit celebration and the 16-18s morning programme.

Mark is Centre Director for Cambridge and District Youth for Christ and sits on the Planning Group for Spring Harvest. He has over 16 years experience in youth ministry and is passionate about seeing young people encounter God and be equipped to be life-long disciples. He loves coffee, board games, musicals and a good theology book.

Mark will be part of the Event Leadership Team - overseeing youth, at both Minehead and Skegness. He will also be hosting the Pursuit Celebration in Minehead.

Martin Young has been leading and planting churches for over 30 years. He now leads Saltmine and works with artists in projects that engage people with the creativity of the Kingdom of Heaven. Martin is chair of Essential Christian and supports churches and Christian ministries in the UK and internationally.

Martin will be hosting the Soul Space celebration in Skegness.

Marie is an author, speaker and Director of FORMA Ministry School and Network for Hillsong UK. Passionate about developing and equipping others, she writes, teaches and creates resources to help people grow in faith, leadership and character. Marie serves on the boards of Kyria and GenZeal, as well as being part of the Spring Harvest Planning Group.

Marie will be hosting the Gathering Celebration in Minehead and the Pursuit Celebration in Skegness.

Tom is leading the team looking after the Base and is part of the Detached youth team as well. He has the privilege of working as youth lead in his church and has a heart for sharing the love of God.

He absolutely loves Jesus and can do a pretty decent impression of a crow.

Tom will be leading the Base - the youth evening drop-in venue.

Luke Aylen is a priest, author, theologian and campervan enthusiast currently working and ministering in Hereford. His background includes a range of creative work in video and theatre, and several years as Spring Harvest's creative coordinator.

Luke will be hosting the Soul Space celebration.

Luke is married to Becci and with their two daughters they live in the Medway Towns, south east England where they serve as part of the team at St John’s Chatham - a community on an exciting journey having reopened its doors after being closed for over two decades.

Luke will be leading worship in the Soul Space celebration and in the 16-18s youth programme each morning.

Sarah serves as the Vicar of The Church of Christ the King. With a heart for healthy discipleship across the generations, she loves creating spaces where people can grow and flourish in all that God is calling them into. Sarah lives in Kettering with her husband Jonathan and their two children.

Sarah is leading the 16-18 youth programme.

Sam is a worship leader, musician and songwriter based in West London. He serves at Kensington Temple as the associate pastor - a large, vibrant multi-ethnic Elim church in London and as national director for Elim Sound a ministry resourcing and equipping the church through new songs and training worship teams both locally across the globe.

Sam will be leading worship in Big Start and the Pursuit Celebration in Minehead.

Gavin Calver is the CEO of the Evangelical Alliance. He has a burning passion to see the church working together to share the Gospel throughout the UK. Formerly the leader of Youth for Christ and chair of Spring Harvest, he’s an ordained evangelist, a regular public speaker, and has authored seven books.

Gavin will be speaking in the Gathering Celebration on Wednesday 31st in Minehead and Wednesday 7th in Skegness.

Most Rev. Dr. Joseph D’Souza is an internationally respected Christian leader, civil rights advocate and Archbishop of the Good Shepherd Church of India. As President of the All-India Christian Council and founder of Dignity Freedom Network, he champions religious freedom, social justice, and the dignity of marginalised communities. Passionate about creating opportunities for those affected by social exclusion, exploitation, and interfaith tensions, he inspires the global Church to bring transformative change by addressing both spiritual and practical needs.

Bishop Joseph will be speaking in Minehead in the Gathering Celebration on Thursday 1st April and in Skegness he will be a guest in the morning 'Living Room' session on Thursday 8th April.

Kate started working with Care for the Family in 2012, originally as a volunteer running their parenting courses in her community, before joining their Community Engagement Team and representing the charity in London. She supports a variety of individuals and organisations working with families, including churches, schools, prisons and charities. Kate lives in London with her husband and they have two daughters. 

Freddy is an actor, director and writer whose work includes collaborations with Saltmine Theatre Company, Searchlight Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has been involved with Big Start at Spring Harvest since 2013, a role that continues to be the highlight of his year. Now based in Norwich, Freddy continues to pursue his creative work while enjoying life with his wife and their two children.

Pete Greig is the bewildered founder of 24-7 Prayer, a global movement of prayer, mission and justice in more than 100 nations. He is an award-winning author of ten books and a co-host of the much-loved daily devotional Lectio 365. He and his wife Sammy, a professional counsellor, are Founding Pastors of Emmaus Rd church, co-hosts of the Wildfires Festival and proud parents to two newly-married sons.

Pete will be speaking in the Pursuit Celebration in Minehead on Tuesday 30th March.

Andy is the founder and global CEO of the Message Trust. He is a world-renowned speaker, evangelist and author with a wealth of learning from decades of mission into the toughest communities, prisons, and schools across the globe. Andy’s passion, experience and life-long walk with Jesus will inspire, equip and empower you to take up Jesus’ call to mission. He received an OBE from the Queen in 2011.

Andy will be speaking in the Pursuit Celebration on Friday 2nd April 2017.

Nick is an award winning songwriter, speaker and worship leader who is based at Gas Street church in Birmingham, where he is a prayer and songwriting consultant. Nick regularly runs song camps for the next generation and travels to the US to write. His passion for co-writing and encouraging artists has led him to write with many different people and it’s always fun when he is in the room!  Nick is also part of the Spring Harvest Planning Group.

Sam is the full-time NextGen Pastor at Lifecentral Church, where he leads the church’s ministries for kids and youth. With over 12 years of diverse experience in ministry, Sam’s primary passion lies in children’s ministry. He is dedicated to creating innovative, exciting and engaging programmes that connect with children in meaningful ways. Sam is committed to fostering environments where kids can grow in faith through fun and relevant experiences. Sam is super excited to be leading the 5-11s programme again this year!

Jake & Mates is led by Jake Isaac, who is a singer, songwriter, worship leader and pastor, passionate about championing creativity in the Church. Jake leads The Gathering Church in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester and worship collective Jake & Mates. He has written songs including Greater Than It All, As in Heaven with Graham Kendrick, and Love Song for a City with Martin Smith. A husband and proud dad of three, his heart is to see creativity, worship and community point people towards Jesus.

Jake will be leading worship each evening in the Gathering Celebration in Minehead.

Sammy is a creative evangelist and preacher, who recently graduated from Nazarene Theological College with a BA in Biblical Studies. She is part of The Message Trust in soul rap duo SoulBox, which travels around the UK and beyond sharing the gospel with young people. Sammy longs to see people transformed by the gospel and equipped to live life to the fullest. She is also a member of the Spring Harvest Planning Group.

Sammy will be speaking in the Gathering Celebration on Monday night in both Minehead and Skegness, as well as in the 'Living Room' sessions each morning, plus hosting the Pursuit Celebration in Minehead!

Andrew and Christine will be leading the 0-4 programme in Minehead. They live in East Sussex and have two adult daughters. Andrew is a Diocesan school’s advisor having previously served as Headteacher of a small rural Sussex Primary School. He has been involved in Puppet Ministry, outreach to Dads and helping young people study the Bible, although these days he’s more likely to be playing in the music group. Christine has spent her working life teaching in primary education and in ministry to children and families. She is currently involved in planning and leading All-age services in her church.  

Christine and Andrew will be leading the 0-4 programme in Minehead.

Phil is an evangelist and missiologist at the Evangelical Alliance. He is passionate about making Jesus known and the power of friendship. He is an avid runner, enthusiastic waterskier and once broke the world record for the longest five-a-side football match. Phil is also the author of Story Bearer and The Best of Friends and an award winning poet.

Phil will be speaking in Minehead in the Gathering Celebration on the final morning, and also hosting SH Home - our online live broadcast - from Skegness.

Cathy is an author, speaker and broadcaster, who speaks extensively across the UK and beyond with charities, churches, conferences and festivals such as Spring Harvest where she is on the Planning Group. She is also on the board of the Kyria Network which supports and equips women in leadership. Cathy is married to Mark, a church leader in Bristol, and they have two wonderful daughters in their twenties.

Bethan works with Youth for Christ as the Deputy Director of Resources. She is passionate about young people finding hope and joy in God and is a big fan of travelling, reading, Disney, drawing and whales.

Bethan is leading the 11-16s youth programme

The Rt Revd Esther Prior is the Bishop of Aston in the Diocese of Birmingham. Formerly Vicar of St John’s Egham, she brings a deep passion for mission, discipleship and leadership development. With roots in Zimbabwe and theological formation at Trinity College Bristol, Bishop Esther is committed to seeing the Church grow younger and more diverse, and to fostering gospel-shaped communities that reflect the love and justice of Christ.

Bishop Esther will be speaking in Minehead in the Gathering Celebration on Tuesday 30th March.

Patrick is a director of Brighter Days a business supporting wellbeing in the workplace, he also works closely with the Centre of Compassionate Leadership. He is also the founder of urban youth work charity XLP and the co-founder of mental health charity Kintsugi Hope. Patrick was awarded a OBE from the late Queen Elizabeth, is an honorary fellow of London South Bank University and has written seven books. He is married to Diane and they have 4 children.

Patrick will be speaking in the mental health stream in Minehead.

Rev Dr Cris Rogers is Director of Mission for the Church of England in Birmingham.  He has a deep passion for discipleship and runs the weekly podcast Making Disciples and wider ministry of Making Disciples. Cris is chair of the Spring Harvest Planning Group.

Cris will be Bible teaching in Minehead in 2027, and hosting the morning 'Living Room' sessions in Skegness.

Martha Shrimpton is an actor, presenter and author who has worked within creative arts for many years. She is the director of Nimbus Collective, which encourages individuals, families and churches to connect with God in creative ways. Martha has written many Christian resource and activity books for children, leads workshops and produces resources to inspire creativity and play! Martha is a member of the Spring Harvest Planning Group and the creative coordinator at head office team.

Amy Summerfield is CEO of Kyria, a leadership network to champion, empower and release women and head of development at Skylark International. From 2015-2020 Amy was senior pastor of Connect Church, Paisley, Scotland. Recently married, Amy moved to live in Hitchin with her husband Matt who leads Zeo Church, for which Amy is on the leadership team. Amy is also the co-founder of Pulse Children’s and Youth Ministries. She is a regular conference speaker for women's and leadership conferences.

Amy and Matt will be leading the Church Leaders stream in Minehead.

Matt is senior leader of Zeo Church and founder of RebootYourLeadership.com, a training and retreat programme for Christian leaders in business, charity, and church. Matt brings nearly 40 years of leadership experience across commercial, charitable, and faith sectors. He began his career as an IT manager, then spent 18 years as chief executive of Urban Saints. For the past 12+ years he has led Zeo, recently championing a new vision to grow as a micro-church movement.

Matt and his wife Amy will be leading the Church Leaders stream in Minehead.

Mark is Centre Director for Cambridge and District Youth for Christ and sits on the Planning Group for Spring Harvest. He has over 16 years experience in youth ministry and is passionate about seeing young people encounter God and be equipped to be life-long disciples. He loves coffee, board games, musicals and a good theology book.

Mark will be part of the Event Leadership Team - overseeing youth, at both Minehead and Skegness. He will also be hosting the Pursuit Celebration in Minehead.

Lauren Windle is a journalist, presenter, public speaker and author of three books:  Notes on Love: Being single and dating in a marriage obsessed Church,  Notes on Feminism: Being a woman in a Church led by men and Drawing as Prayer. She is published in Vogue, Marie Claire, Church Times, Premier Christianity and others. Lauren has been clean and sober from drug and alcohol addiction for eleven incredible years, thanks to Jesus.

Lauren will be hosting the Living Room sessions each morning.

Cath is an international gospel singer, creative communicator, author, poet, podcaster and one third of SOW Acapella, who also happen to feature in hit sitcom Gavin and Stacey. Cath leads the creative collective Sound Of Wales with her husband Dai and she is a regular contributor on BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought.
Cath also leads 24-7 Prayer in Wales.

Cath and Dai will be hosting the very popular The (not so) Late Show in Minehead.

Dai is an award winning storyteller, spoken word poet and author, blending rhythm and rhyme with passion, playfulness, and colloquial prose. Dai is creative specialist for Bible Society and runs Urban Wordsmiths in Cardiff. He has performed at Westminster Hall, Lambeth Palace and Trafalgar Square, and is also author of several books including God's Brilliantly Big Creation Story and The Story Of God’s Amazingly Awesome Rescue Plan.

Dai and his wife Cath will be hosting the very popular The (not so) Late Show in Minehead.