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The Board of Trustees of the Community of Interbeing UK / Plum Village UK provides the governance, stewardship, and support needed to sustain our shared practice and community. As the charity’s governing body, the Trustees hold collective responsibility for ensuring that the organisation fulfils its purpose, meets its legal responsibilities, and uses its resources wisely in service of the Plum Village tradition in the UK.
Our Trustees are practitioners who bring a range of skills, experience, and perspectives to their role. Alongside their responsibilities for good governance and strategic direction, they seek to listen deeply to the needs and aspirations of the wider sangha, supporting the flourishing of mindfulness practice, compassionate action, and community across the UK.
Serving in the spirit of generosity and care, the Trustees work collectively to nurture the continuation of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings and to support the many individuals and groups who make up the Plum Village UK community.
Chair of Trustees
Took the five mindfulness trainings at Stourbridge, March 1997 and became a member of the Order in 2010.
An academic background, and worked in the voluntary sector and for many years in Local Government. Practices with the Oxford Sangha and the Daffodil Sangha.
Trustee
Jake started exploring the Buddhist path in 2018, was moved by Thay’s continuation in 2022 to commit to Plum Village and received the Five Mindfulness Trainings at the Sidcot retreat in October 2022.
Over 25 years in tech and finance firms, with a special interest in how organisations really work beyond the org charts and process descriptions.
Jake practices with the Seven Sisters Sangha in London.
Treasurer
Practices with White Clouds Sangha in Bristol
Background in telecommunications and semiconductor industries, managing multinational design teams.
Trustee and Treasurer for Plum Village UK as well as a councillor in local government.
Trustee - Dharma Teacher
Angie has been a student of Thay’s for around 25 years, 14 of those as an Order member, and was ordained as a lay Dharma teacher in 2017.
Angie comes from a nursing background in Australia and returned to the UK to care for her elderly parents. Finding that working for the NHS was detrimental to her own health, she retrained as a gardener and, around the same time, was introduced to Thay’s practice by a friend. Now living in Wiltshire with her partner, dog, and cat, she enjoys walking, gardening, and leading a quiet life of practice.
Trustee
Phuong has been a student of Th?y since 1999 and has a deep commitment to Sangha building and cultivating inclusive communities
She practises with Family Sangha and Mai Blossom Vietnamese Sangha. She is an Occupational Therapist with extensive experience across the NHS and charity sectors, and a co-founder of a social enterprise supporting marginalised communities through mindfulness and wellbeing practices
Trustee
Practiced with Wake Up London, key organiser of the first London Mindfulness Hub in 2018 and 2024 UK Monastic Tour
Over 20 years in start-ups and multinationals with a decade in leadership roles.
Trustee
Julie has studied and practised Buddhism for 15 years. She fell in love with engaged buddhism reading Thich Nhat Hanh and now practises with Plum Village in France.
Julie is an experienced chair and trustee in civil society and public organisations. Her twin passions are pursuing equality and a more collaborative and resilient democracy. Inspired by her experience of Buddhist living in Laos, Julie has studied and practised Buddhism for 15 years.
Trustee
Joseph been practicing in Buddhists traditions since 2001. In the face of the multiple, overlapping crises we face, Joseph is more inspired than ever to take refuge in the three jewels and is committed to deepening his practice within the Plum Village tradition.
Originally from Australia, Joseph is a policy and advocacy specialist by profession and activist by inclination and has worked internationally on human rights, HIV/AIDS, animal welfare and education.
Trustee
She has been following Plum Village practice for many years and received the Five Mindfulness Trainings in 2024.
Anh is an international lawyer with over twenty years’ experience across Asia and Europe, including more than a decade in leadership roles within multinational organisations, overseeing legal, compliance, governance, property and environmental matters.
Hiroki practices with Wake Up London and was raised Buddhist but explored other spiritual paths before returning through Plum Village's tradition of engaged Buddhism
He was the finance lead for the Being Peace project where he worked to ensure sustainable stewardship supports the mission
Trustee
Sonia received the Five Mindfulness Trainings on a retreat for 'climate leaders' in Upper Hamlet and would like to use her professional skills to serve the community.
Sonia is a senior civil servant working on climate change for the UK government. She discovered the practice through the London sanghas and has organised retreats and monastic visits.
Mindful Moment
People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
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