Our Team
Anna Bland - Director
Click here to email Anna
Tel: 07903 755 995
Anna was Leeds Sanctuary’s first employee in 2019, employed by the Yorkshire West Methodist District to start a city centre project known as Leeds Methodist Mission. Previously, Anna worked in Community Development for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Housing Trust in York as well as for other charities including St George's Crypt and Christian Aid. She also held a variety of volunteer roles in Leeds, London and nationally and has sat on various charity trustee boards.
Mick Neal - Operations Manager
Click here to email Mick
Tel: 07777 182 923
Mick joined Leeds Sanctuary as the Operations Manager in August 2024, and previously, he worked as a Minister in the Methodist Church for more than 30 years. An important part of his work over the years has been community engagement through the church and he was keen to continue this in his “retirement”. Alongside Leeds Sanctuary, Mick also works with a project in Hull providing support for refugees and asylum seekers, the Barnsley Foodbank Partnership, and is a governor for a number of schools in Barnsley, where he lives. Mick’s role at Leeds Sanctuary is to help us make sure that organisationally, we are compliant with charity law and that our administration is efficient and our activities meet the objects of the charity.
Emily Smith -
Communications and Digital Lead
Click here to email Emily
Tel: 07498 465 004
Emily has been working at Leeds Sanctuary since September 2021, looking after our communications and our digital platforms and resources. She used to run her own business as an Antenatal and Hypnobirthing Teacher, running courses online and creating course materials, alongside being a stay at home mum. Emily has previously held different volunteer roles, often supporting local families, and has an interest in how our digital engagement shapes what we believe about ourselves and those around us. Her home church is North Church in Burley.
Emma Temple - Justice Lead
Emma first joined Leeds Sanctuary as a volunteer and founding member of Leeds Craftivists in 2020. In 2024 she joined the team to support with building our justice-seeking communities, helping people in Leeds feel a sense of agency and belonging by taking action for a better city. She has been a campaigner with various organisations in a voluntary and work capacity since 2012, including time as Campaign Lead for Leeds Student Action for Refugees, and Faith in Action worker for the Student Christian Movement. She now works for various Christian charities in the city, and worships at All Hallows Church in Leeds, where activism is an integral part of living out her faith.
Eleanor Gillott - Wellbeing Practitioner
Click here to email Eleanor
Tel: 07498 465 007
Eleanor joined Leeds Sanctuary in June 2025 after previously being employed as a youth worker in different community and mental health settings. Her role includes designing and delivering wellbeing projects, identifying potential opportunities, and connecting with other services. While Eleanor does not consider herself Christian, the ethics and values held by Leeds Sanctuary reflect her own beliefs; that everyone matters and deserves a chance to live a fulfilled life.
Revd Tim Nicholls - Universities Chaplain
Tim returned to Leeds in September 2023, having been a Theology student at the University in the late 1990s. He is a Methodist Minister, and is serving as a Chaplain to the Universities in Leeds, as well as working with Leeds Sanctuary to serve the diverse communities in the centre of Leeds. Tim has been a Minister for 12 years, serving in Canterbury, Kent and Wythenshawe, South Manchester before taking up his present appointment. Before entering the ministry, he ran community empowerment and anti-poverty charities in London for 12 years. His passion is for supporting communities on the margins of society. Tim regularly preaches across the two Leeds Methodist Circuits, and is a trustee of Project Bonhoeffer.
Valerie Active-Evans - Administrator
Click here to email Valerie
Valerie started working with Leeds Sanctuary in November 2022 as our Administrator, with an increasing focus on Finance. Over the years she has worked as a nurse for the NHS, and in Finance and Payroll for a Housing Association and Leeds Mind; never far from a caring environment. Her home church is Roscoe Methodist Church, where she has an active role with young people and families.