Some of the People at Cold Cotes

Penny Jones

I qualified in Hotel Management after leaving school. My first business venture was Oliver restaurant in Harrogate. I went on to study Social Studies at Bradford and worked for a few years as a social worker in child protection and subsequently a manager in Social Services. Ed and I moved to Cold Cotes in 1984. During the next ten years I developed an interest in plants and gardens. Work on the garden as it is now at Cold Cotes didn't really start till 1995. I worked with Robyn Carter, a friend and garden designer, to establish a sense of direction for the garden and I have subsequently developed this as more of the land has become garden.

After Social Services I then spent ten years in the NHS most recently as a Chief Executive. During this time I qualified as a coach and developed my interest in personal and organisational development. In my time out of work I developed a real passion for gardening. Well supported by Mum (Doreen) and Philip Horn I have developed the garden and there is an outline plan to work to over the next few years to make a circular garden which will extend the garden round its boundaries.

I left the NHS in 2007 and now work independently as Azurite Coaching. In addition to developing my coaching practice I am currently planning a series of workshops to run with colleagues with Cold Cotes as a venue these workshops are set out under upcoming events.

Lilian Kershaw

I have spent a considerable amount of my life thus far working in the NHS, in general management, human resource management and organisational development. Latterly, I was a director in 2 large NHS Trusts and a Health Authority, a period spanning 16 years. In 2004, I left the NHS to achieve some balance in my life and, from a work perspective, to focus more on the thing I am most passionate about, individual and organisational learning and development. Since then I have qualified as a coach and have been developing a successful consultancy. This is continuing and is now funding my new interests.

I live both in York and in Leicestershire where my partner, a sculptor, and I are currently upgrading a converted chapel. We love travelling and recently he has persuaded me to take up golf.

As ever, I continue to search for what I will do when I 'grow up'. I have always had an interest in alternative therapies and my spiritual development is very important to me so it was no surprise to my friends when I decided to train as a Homeopath with the Lakeland College. At the time of writing I am still studying and one thing I have learned is that I have signed up to a lifelong commitment! I am particularly interested in how homeopathy and related fields can help those with dementia and their carers.

My great friends at Cold Cotes have provided a wonderful environment from which to work, oodles of encouragement and a range of skills and support that are unsurpassed. The universe works in amazing ways!

I hope to meet you on our journey through life.

Ed Loft

My teenage years were spent on the Isle of Wight working in the restaurants of hotels and joining in Flower Power experience of watching Jimmy Hendrix at the 1970 festival at East Afton Farm. Then more hotels in London and Guernsey finally leaving the Island in 1975 and moving to Harrogate where I had my first art exhibition in the Valley Gardens along with 30 other artists. I was quite successful but wasn't prepared to suffer for my art so I gained an HGV license and drove round the Middle East, Europe and the UK for the next 25 years. I kept painting all that time whenever possible, check out www.edloft-art.com and have recently discovered an ability to write poetry, the legacy of driving alone is that you "think" resulting in (Just My Thoughts) published by www.authorhouse.co.uk ISBN 97814 34309 334.

I've been with Penny my partner for 22 years at Cold Cotes, it took 18 years to upgrade the house, when it was finished we had a very large house and beautiful garden with just the two of us in it so we opened the B&B to share it with our guests, and now our old barn looks beautiful too.

For any Martial Artists reading this I am a member of the Manchester Kyudo Group, Zen archery would be the English term, it's all in the mind.

Kevin O'Connor

Kevin offers highly entertaining cooking demonstrations at Cold Cotes and provides private party catering. He believes food should be cooked simply, look great, taste fantastic and above all the whole experience should be fun. He is an experienced chef/trainer currently working for Craven College assessing trainee chefs to achieve the City & Guilds Professional Cookery qualification. His professional career in hotels and restaurants spans 30 years working for the largest hotel company at the time Forte Hotels in London and internationally. His great interest is cooking and experiencing the different cuisines of the world and experimenting with new techniques and methods all of which he was able to do during his career.

Joanna Russell

My role at Cold Cotes includes cooking, gardening and event management. I feel very blessed to live in this special place and very much enjoy expressing my creativity through the work I do here. I colaborate with Penny, Lilian and Jane on several workshops we present at Cold Cotes.

I recently returned home to Yorkshire after about 25 years living in Austin Texas where I worked at the University of Texas. Like so much in Texas, UT is a massive school with over 50,000 students. I took an MA in botany there and then stayed on to work in the department later moving to the IT department where I did tech support and then business management and financial analysis. I began to realise that I was missing something very fundamental to me - Joy in my Heart and Peace in my Soul - and took steps to reclaim them. I found some dear friends, teachers and guides and with their support and the life-changing Insight Seminars began to experience huge shifts in my consciousness.

In 2004 I began a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica. Flying out to California one weekend a month for 2 years was the most precious gift I have ever given myself. The loving support of the brilliant faculty and my Class of 2006 classmates helped me reach levels of self-awareness and loving acceptance of myself and others that I had never dreamed possible. Through this incredible, soul-centered education program I discovered the creative, joyous loving soul I truly am. I did indeed reclaim my Joy and Peace and I am so very grateful for all that led my to that. I learned communication and counseling skills that continue to support me on my journey as well as others on theirs.

My intention is to live my life in joy and acceptance, to radiate compassion and empathy and to love unconditionally. I have a learning orientation to life and look to focus on the positive in all my experiences. A good day for me is one filled with laughter, learning and Light, when I remember to be grateful for it all and that there really is no such thing as a bad day. - In Loving (p.s. I have more information/resources etc on my web site)