Hopeful Activist

Richard Gower (Author) Rich Gower has spent twenty years wrestling with what it means to really love and really live in this broken world. He worked on international negotiations for the UK government before escaping from the civil service (via Oxfam), and then working at the grassroots in Zimbabwe, and later Bradford. He now co-leads Tearfund's policy and advocacy work on plastics and waste. He launched the Hopeful Activists' Podcast in 2019 (alongside Abi Thomas) as part of the Praxis Centre for Hope and Activism.Rachel Walker (Author) Rachel Walker has spent her life trying to figure out what following Jesus looks like. In recent years she has been increasingly captivated by God's heart for justice and the hope and joy he gives in the most challenging circumstances. Having worked in communications for an international Christian charity and spent a while as a freelance Comms specialist (through which she joined the Hopeful Activists' team), she now works for a Church of England parish in Islington, London.Lauren Windle (In-House Editor) Lauren Windle is a public speaker and journalist, published by Mail Online, Huffington Post, The Sun, Fabulous Digital, Marie Claire, The Star, Church Times and others. Her first book, Notes on Love, was published by SPCK in 2021. On 22 April 2014 she got clean and sober from a cocaine and alcohol addiction and became a Christian five days later. She has a MA in Addiction Studies, runs a charity recovery course for people struggling with addiction and, in 2018, gave a TEDx Talk about her personal story of addiction and recovery. She is also the proud owner of a Blue Peter badge and has her grade four ice-skating. You can connect with Lauren @_lauren_celeste on Instagram and Twitter.