Meet the Team

"I filmed in South Africa for Comic Relief which is when I first came upon the Bishop Simeon Trust and the remarkable work it does. It was then I began to understand the enormity of the work done by the Trust and the extraordinary way in which it attempts to help in what seems to be a hopeless situation.  It’s that determination to effect change in the most dire circumstances that enables outsiders such as myself to offer a helping hand.  Long may it prosper.” 

"The Bishop Simeon Trust has been a beacon of light in South Africa. Its work, with really vulnerable children; many of whom have lost parents, others who have disabilities and all of whom are poor, is inspirational. The Trust has played a leading role in showing how civil society has a part to play in building nations by developing invaluable social programmes and organising highly professional ways of working. I am proud to be a patron.” 

"South Africa has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world and there is still a real need for the treatment, care and support services for people living with HIV. The Bishop Simeon Trust certainly deserves and needs to continue its life-saving work and its unstinting support for orphans and vulnerable children and those who are affected by HIV/AIDs." 

"I’m very glad I have been involved and am happy to continue to be a Patron into the future as I fundamentally believe in the work." 

"Being exposed to the great man, Simeon, was a fundamental inspiration to my life.  He showed me the gift of service and giving – not just talking!  Through the way he conducted his life he offered hope to me and showed me my responsibility to live it and share it with others.  Simeon stood up against the injustices within society and defeated what was said to be impossible, something that Bishop Simeon Trust (inspired by his life) continues to do."

Find out more about Jonathan's work on his  Big Cat People website. 

“I want people to know the fundamental difference the Trust makes to the children and young people who are helped. This is no big, impersonal, remote organisation. The work in Gauteng is work at the heart of the most needy urban communities in South Africa. We need advocates and action for change in South Africa. The more people who hear the stories and see the pictures of what the Trust does, the more people will respond.” 

“The more countries I have travelled in my work as an MP and a Minister, the more I was impacted by the effects of poverty, HIV/AIDS, treatable illnesses, and the children left behind. Education and project work are the way forward, and the Bishop Simeon Trust has the expertise to make real lasting impact in South Africa." 

Judith Scott has lived and breathed South Africa since she visited as a teenager in 1953, which turned out to be a life-changing experience for her. In the early 1980s she worked with Bishop Simeon Nkoane in South Africa and became embroiled in his township projects. She witnessed at first hand the cruelty of the apartheid regime and the battles with the youth in the townships. She returned to the UK determined to try and do something about it and so it was that in 1989 the Bishop Simeon Trust was formed.  

Judith was Director for many years and since her was invited to become Life President. In 1995 Bishop David Beetge the Bishop of the Highveld awarded both Judith and Clive Scott the Bishop's Medal for the establishment of the Bishop Simeon Trust and for the assistance the Trust has given to so many whose education is still affected by the legacy of Apartheid. In 2008 Judith had the great honour of being proposed by Archbishop Khotso Makhulu and Archbishop Desmond Tutu to receive the Archbishop of Canterbury's award the Cross of St Augustine for her work in South Africa. 

“Bishop Simeon Nkoane was a really courageous man working in an area that was difficult and dangerous. He had attempts made on his life. In a fragmented society he was even-handed in how he responded to need, underpinning his love of justice. He stood courageously for justice.” 

“Being a patron of the Bishops Simeon Trust has made me know when good people come together they can change the world for the better. The empowerment of people who have been cruelly discriminated against and especially the young is one of the most noble things that any person can undertake. The Trust has been groundbreaking in its vision. I am among the millions worldwide that wish to say thank to everyone at the Bishop’s Simeon Trust who has dedicated their lives to work at the grass roots to make a kinder, safer and more just South Africa.” 

Lord Harries is a retired bishop of the Church of England, a former British Army officer and a long standing Patron and supporter of the Bishop Simeon Trust with a great passion for social justice.