Garden Tomb Trustees

Chairman – Paul Keeys

Paul and his wife Jane are currently living in the southeast of England, far from their northern roots. After ten years teaching Mathematics in secondary schools Paul has invested the last ten years as Regional Director of Walk Through the Bible in Western Europe. He loves to teach large chunks of scripture in short interactive sessions, especially whilst traveling through the land of the Bible.

Paul’s main hobby is listening to audiobooks, so he can often be found with his headphones on, walking down by the beach. As an avid football fan, sadly his team bring him little but frustration, but each season he keeps coming back hoping for better.

Paul Mayo

Paul first visited the Garden Tomb when he was 13 and found it a very significant place to reflect on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Paul has returned many times whilst leading tours for Oak Hall Expeditions. He is honoured to serve as a trustee and prays that many will discover the truth about Jesus at the Garden Tomb.

Paul is part of the leadership team of Oak Hall Expeditions. Oak Hall takes people on adventures and seeks to show them Jesus in the Bible. Paul dreams of doing a PhD in theology, but most of all he loves reading and talking about Jesus with his three children.

Alison Laing

Alison lives in Inverurie, a rural town in North-East Scotland. She taught in a number of local primary schools before going to teach in Kenya for 5 years, and in Jerusalem with C.M.J. for 6 years, before returning home to care for her elderly parents. Alison then qualified as a teacher of the Deaf and taught hearing impaired nursery children. She is a member of Kintore Community Church which is a recent church plant of Hillview Community Church, Aberdeen. Alison is a member of a Ladies Intercessory Prayer Group and arranges and hosts the Scottish Conference twice a year. Her hobbies include gardening, rambling, reading and cycling.

Mark Aldridge

Mark and his wife Nicola became regular volunteer workers after their first visit to the Garden Tomb in 2015. They currently make several visits each year for a few weeks at a time as Mark transitions into full retirement after life as an active investing chairman in private equity backed businesses.

They are both committed to the work of the Garden Tomb, supporting the day-to-day routine as well as its future development, all in pursuit of its aims to declare the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection opening the way for people to receive forgiveness and reconciliation with God, and maintaining it as a place of witness and worship where the beauty of the garden and the integrity of the message work together to provide a place where everyone can encounter the presence of the risen Christ.

Mark lives near Petersfield in Hampshire and is an active member of Hope Church, an independent evangelical church in the town.#

Kieran Ryan

Kieran Ryan is a retired Army Officer (Irish Defence Forces) who has served in senior staff appointments both in Ireland and overseas in the Middle East region. He came to personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ while serving as a junior officer and was actively associated with the Association of Military Christian Fellowship (AMCF) during his 35 year career. He is an MA graduate, in Applied Theology, from the Irish Bible Institute, Dublin and has held many leadership positions in Independent Bible Churches and Youth ministries for over thirty years in Ireland. He and his wife Laura, lives in Kilkenny city. They have one son Steve, who lives in London with his wife Fiona. He has been serving in the Garden Tomb since 2011 and as Deputy Director from 2017 to 2019. He is delighted to be back on the Board.

Steve King

Steve King lives in Yateley, Hampshire and works as an insurance broker in the City of London, married to Maureen, they have three daughters. Steve is a Portsmouth Football fan and a keen cyclist, having completed a number of charity cycle rides including a number of ‘Pedal for Primus’ events since 2008 and a 200 mile biking for children in car ride in 2010. Having previously been a Trustee of Faith & Football, Steve began his time as a Trustee in 2011.


Honorary Officers

President – Paul Weaver

Paul Weaver was elected Chairman of the Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) Association in 2017, having previously served on the Council for three years. Paul was raised in Birmingham. After working as a Procurement Officer in an engineering firm, he felt a call to Christian leadership and left for London to study theology.

He pastored two churches over a period of thirty six years before leading the Assemblies of God as General Superintendent in the UK for thirteen years. Paul lectured for twenty years at Mattersey Hall; he co-directed the ‘Jim’ Challenge and has also served on many Boards including Evangelical Alliance, Together in Mission, World Assemblies of God and the World Pentecostal Presidium. Paul has also authored and co-authored books and discipleship courses. He is an artist and enjoys playing golf.

He and his wife Jenn have two children, Sally and Joel, who with their spouses have given them six grandchildren – so far!

Treasurer – Fiona Saunderson

Fiona is a wife and mother (of 4) based in Cambridge. She and her husband are members of Holy Trinity Cambridge and actively involved in the churches work with the University Students. She is a member of the Lords and Commons Child and Family Protection Group, and more recently has helped run one of the UK’s first across a City “Parenting Teenagers Course” which has attracted parents from 22 different schools.

She has had a love for Israel, Jerusalem and the peoples from that place. She still vividly remembers her first visit to Jerusalem in 1978 (her uncle was based there for many years) and her first visit to the Garden Tomb. She has returned many times since, including for her honeymoon in 1995 and recalls being in the Garden Tomb on that visit for a wedding – a very special memory.

Director – Simon Holland

Prior to his appointment as Director Simon Holland served as Deputy Director of the Garden Tomb for 3 years. Simon was ordained in the church of England in 1991 and served in a variety of churches. Before coming to the Garden Tomb in 2019, he was Warden of Lee Abbey Devon, a Christian community and conference centre for mission and discipleship. He is married to Anne who serves at the Garden. They have two children and two grandchildren. When in the UK they live on the Isle of Wight.