The Team
All of our teachers meet the requirements of the Good Practice Guidance for Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses published by the UK Network of Mindfulness-Based Teacher Trainers and hold a certificate of Competency in Teaching Mindfulness from the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, University of Wales, Bangor and University of Exeter. As part of our teaching practice we have regular supervision from external supervisors as well as peer supervision within Mindfulness Cornwall.
Paula Fairweather trained as an occupational therapist and has 12 years experience of counselling in GP surgeries in Cornwall. Paula has graduated from The Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University with a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching Mindfulness based approaches and now offers supervision through the Mindfulness Network CIC and Exeter University. Paula is also an MBITAC assessor with Exeter University and The Oxford Mindfulness Centre. She has had a meditation practice and has been attending retreats since 1983.
Vici Williams has been working in mental health since 1999 in a variety of voluntary and statutory services. Vici began teaching mindfulness in a specialist mental health service in Cornwall and has offered 1:1 Mindfulness based Therapy to clients in the Community Mental Health Team and group mindfulness practices on the mental health inpatient units.
Vici has a Post Graduate Diploma from Exeter University in Mindfulness based Approaches and has subsequently co-taught on the Level 1 and Level 2 Supervised pathway retreats for the University. Vici is an MBI:TAC assessor for The Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice and Exeter University and a supervisor and Personal Practice Mentor with the Mindfulness Network.
Vici has a long personal meditation practice and regularly attends retreats in the UK and India.
Frances Rippon has a 10 year association with Mindfulness Cornwall- as an 8 week course participant, colleague, supervisee, mindfulness teacher and friend. She qualified from the two year post graduate diploma in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy from Exeter University in 2014. Her background is in mental health nursing and humanistic counselling. She has worked for over 30 years in NHS mental health services in London and Cornwall. Over the past 6 years she has led a team developing the earlier work of Vici and Paula and reviving mindfulness in NHS primary care mental health in Cornwall. She works within the Outlook South West IAPT service offering 8 week MBCT courses for anxiety and depression, 4 session Introduction to Mindfulness courses, mindfulness workshops for NHS staff and individual mindfulness-based therapy.
Associate Teachers
Jan Llewellyn has worked as a mental health nurse in the field of addictions since 1995. Jan started yoga when she was 18 and began meditating in 2000 and attended her first silent retreat in 2006. Jan has recently qualified as a yoga teacher with the British Wheel of Yoga and is currently studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching Mindfulness based courses at Bangor University.
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Sophie Temple Muir joined Mindfulness Cornwall after completing her Post Graduate Diploma in Mindfulness Based Approaches at Exeter University in 2012. She offers courses in Mindfulness and Creativity, and has worked with staff and students in schools and at Falmouth University. Her original training was in T’ai Chi and she has led mindful movement for MBCT retreats at Gaia House. She was introduced to meditation in the early ’80’s and continues to practice and leads occasional silent retreat in Wales.
Ben Chalwin,
Ben is from an education background and – since being inspired by a Mindfulness Cornwall event in 2013 – has certified with the Mindfulness in Schools Project to teach Paws b (primary), .b (secondary) and .b Foundations (adults in education). He also works as a trainer on the Mindfulness in Schools Project’s Teach Paws b courses. Ben has also attended training as a “Frantic World” teacher for the MYRIAD project at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. After over a decade as Deputy Headteacher and Acting Headteacher, Ben has now stepped away from school leadership. Passionate about young people having access to mindfulness, he is looking to develop Mindfulness in schools across Cornwall
Ben can be contacted by email at schools@mindfulnesscornwall.co.uk
Past team members who have supported Mindfulness Cornwall along the way
Lindi McAlpine joined Mindfulness Cornwall in 2012, with a Post Graduate Diploma in Mindfulness-Based Approaches, and will complete her MSc in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) at Exeter University in 2013. She has also trained with the Mindfulness in Schools Project (www.mindfulnessinschools.org) to deliver the .b Mindfulness Programme and is a qualified Yoga Teacher with the British Wheel of Yoga (www.bwy.org). Lindi’s background is in Counselling in NHS and Private Practice and Community and Hospice Nursing. Personally, Lindi finds Mindfulness Practice, its psychological insights through the wisdom of the body, to be an invaluable, accessible support and inspiration for happier and healthier living – and loves sharing these practices!
In loving memory and with deep thanks wanting to honor Gavin Saunders who passed away recently. Gavin a local photographer and ‘all round good egg’ supported us and developed this website back in 2011. Gavin’s family motto is “Quam difficile potest esse” (How hard can it be?). He is responsible for trying to keep some semblance of order, and dusting after meetings.
Lizzie Stevens takes requests for the day retreats and receives the deposits. Her aim is to help support the ongoing work of Mindfulness Cornwall. Her background is in the visual arts (also education and health). Regular meditation practice has had a profound impact on her life, since attending the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Relief course nearly three years ago.
Lizzie is the artistic drive behind the Eliza Freespirit project.
Mindfulness Cornwall began offering Mindfulness 8 week courses in Primary care (for Outlook Southwest) for people referred by their GPs and practice based therapists. This included a course for the North Cornwall Integrated care pilot project. More recently we have taught courses in the Community Mental Health Teams along with individual mindfulness work in secondary care for those referred by their psychiatrists.
In May 2011 we developed Mindfulness Cornwall as a Community Interest Company (not for profit organisation) to be able to deliver courses in a variety of settings and to support the development of mindfulness based approaches in line with the guiding principles to promote good practice in teaching mindfulness based approaches from Bangor, Oxford and Exeter Universities.
Vici and Paula currently supervise students from the Exeter Postgraduate Masters course and are both registered with Exeter University as external supervisors.
Currently we are teaching courses to the general public for a variety of conditions including stress, depression, low mood and anxiety. Most participants are self referred however GPs and other primary care staff are also recommending our courses to their patients. We also offer Stress Reduction courses for Health and Teaching Professionals and are developing Mindfulness in the Workplace.
