Lam Rim Bristol Buddhist Centre
Lam Rim Bristol Trust is a registered charity (number 294470) founded in April 1986. The Trust owns the building and oversees all its activities. The Trustees, currently four in number, are responsible for Lam Rim Bristol Trust as a charity.
The therapy rooms and the main hall are leased to the Centre for Whole Health, a limited company that was set up by the Trust. The company is run by directors – all volunteers – who manage paid staff. Events on the top floor – the Buddhist Centre – are run entirely by volunteers.
Geshe Graham Woodhouse
Geshe Graham Woodhouse was appointed as a Trustee in June 2018. He was ordained as a monk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1994 and obtained his Geshe Degree in 2006 at Drepung Loseling Monastery. His teacher, the Venerable Lobsang Gyatso, was the founder and first principal of the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala.
Dechen Rochard
Dechen Rochard completed the first ten years of the Geshe degree program (Inst. of Buddhist Dialectics, India) and obtained a PhD in Buddhist Philosophy (Cambridge University). She translated Geshe Lhundub Sopa’s Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, volume 5 and translates for The Gaden Phodrang Trust. She is an Hon. Research Fellow at Bristol University and Fellow of the Dalai Lama Centre for Compassion, Oxford. She was appointed a Trustee in January 2020.
Mike Austin
Mike Austin is a retired aircraft stress engineer. He worked on the Centre prior to its opening in 1988 and was appointed as a Trustee by Geshe Damcho in 1994. He is currently Chair of the Trustees and a Trustee of Dharma Therapy Trust. He helps facilitate Wednesday and Thursday evening sessions and weekend events.
Paul Kirby
Paul Kirby is a professional decorator, woodworker and a musician. He is a Trustee of Dharma Therapy Trust and has been a student of Geshe Damcho since 1991. Paul is a spiritual programme advisor and is one of the presenters on Thursday evenings. Paul is also responsible for the decorative order of the Centre.
Caroline McCookweir
Caroline McCookweir works as a receptionist in the Centre for Whole Health and a musician. She has been a student of Geshe Damcho since 1997 and is a Trustee of Dharma Therapy Trust. Caroline is a spiritual programme advisor and is one of the presenters on Thursday evenings.
Milena Nikolova
Milena Nikolova is a practising psychotherapist with particular interest in mindfulness-oriented approaches. She was appointed as a Trustee in July 2019 and regularly contributes to evening sessions.
Ruth Matson
Ruth Matson was appointed as a Trustee in September 2019. She is an artist and printmaker and has worked as a receptionist in the Centre for Whole Health. She is one of the facilitators at the Monday evening sessions.
Last Updated on 27th September 2021