The Team

John Reaney began working with young people as a volunteer youth leader at Ormskirk Parish Church in 1983. He moved to Surrey and continued to volunteer in St Paul's Church, Woking. It was whilst there that his gifts and skills in youth work were truly recognised and he became one of the first employed Youth Workers in the Church of England, taking up a post in Godalming.

Over ther years ahead he held Youth Worker posts in Oxford and Watford, before becoming the Diocesan Youth Officer (DYO) for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich, where he held responsibility for work with 11-25 year olds in the 650 churches across Norfolk and North East Suffolk.

Whist as DYO he developed significant participation projects, wrote a range of books and publications on Christian Youth Work, appeared on television and radio to discuss youth work issues, delivered training courses, and managed employment processes for parish-based youth workers. He was a governor at Swaffham High School where he became chair of the personnel committee, and was elected on to the Church of England General Synod, the national governing body.

After holding another DYO post in Chester Diocese, he trained as a Driving Instructor as a hobby, and was then appointed as the Area Manager for the national youth work charity Weston Spirit, founded by Falklands War Veteran Simon Weston OBE. There he managed the inception of a new centre and delivery team in North Wales, before moving to Cardiff to manage the whole of Wales operations. Weston Spirit delivered personal and social development programmes to young people who were seeking new direction in their lives, but sadly went into administration in 2008.

He now brings his whole range of experience to John Reaney Consulting, and his unique inclusive delivery style.