Meet our Staff Team

Susie’s parents, Tony & Betty, founded the Centre in 1961 and so Susie grew up with her family at Min y Don. After spending time working as a PE teacher, she returned with Pete in 1995 to take up the position of Centre Director.

Pete has been a Centre Director along with Susie since 1995. Formerly a Primary School Teacher, alongside his other responsibilities, he enjoys his role as a Church leader at Tywyn Baptist Church, his life at MYD as well as following cricket & watching his favourite football team; Manchester United.

Beth has been at the Centre for some considerable time! As Pete & Susie’s daughter, she grew up at Min y Don and went on to join our team back in 2013. Beth enjoys her work with the local children & young people, cooking, knitting, and being married to Jake of course!

Hannah is from Loughborough and studied Biological Sciences at Birmingham University before joining us in September 2019 as a Trainee Instructor.
Hannah enjoys all aspects of outdoor pursuits. She is a former Girls Brigade Leader and an accomplished musician. Hannah is looking forward to putting all her skills to good use whilst here on the MYD Team.

Zoe has been with us since 2003 and primarily instructs land based activities. She is a particularly keen Rock Climber and Mountain Biker.

Jake joined the team back in 2014. Alongside helping to instruct a wide range of activities at Min y Don, he is also working towards achieving his more formal outdoor activity qualifications.

Steve joined the team back in 1999. Alongside instructing guests, he also shares in the responsibility to train the younger members of the team and help them progress with qualifications.

This is Jacob’s second time of employment here at Min-Y-Don as he was back here in 2017 as a Trainee. For the last two years he has been working as a Youth Worker at a church in Bristol. Jacob is from Somerset and he enjoys being in the outdoors very much and particularly enjoys mountain biking. We are really pleased he has come back and are looking forward to him using his great youth work skills at our local youth club at Tywyn Baptist Church.

Yona is from Dublin and has worked previously as an Outdoor Instructor at Killary Adventure Centre and Ovoca Manor, both in The Republic of Ireland.
Yona enjoys cooking, gardening but mainly all outdoor activities. 
She's particularly enthusiastic about Bushcraft; in fact she's the only staff member we've ever had who has 'former professional forager' listed on their CV !

Jacob joined our team in September 2021. He is really looking forward to learning new skills in the outdoors and getting stuck in with every aspect of Min-Y-Don life. He also loves a good board game as do most of the team so will enjoy the many board game evenings during his time here.

Having first stayed here as a guest, Sam previously worked here on summer team, and then joined us in a long-term role in September 2022. He enjoys all outdoor sports especially kayaking and canoeing. As a history student we wonder if he prefers medieval longboats to our kayaks and canoes.

Paul joined the team back in 2014. As well as spending time instructing at Min y Don, Paul also runs his own business hand making tents and outdoor clothing—a very useful person to know if you want a new waterproof jacket!

Leonor joined the team back in 2005. She is responsible for the majority of tasty meals that are served up daily at Min y Don. She has also become the holder of the famous Min y Don Flapjack recipe!

Originally from the east of Scotland, Rachel has been working fairly nearby at another Christian Outdoor Centre, before joining our team in September 2022. Rachel enjoys climbing, mountain walking and drumming and is also a particularly gifted linguist. She speaks fluent French and Italian and also speaks German and Spanish.
Having previously worked as an instructor, Rachel is now enjoying her new role in helping make Min y Don a welcoming place for all who come to enjoy the great outdoors.

Andrew Joined the team in December 2019. He lives in Tywyn and likes watching films, and walks by the beach. Andrew enjoys construction and has built Tower Bridge, Hogwarts Castle and many other things (in lego of course). Andrew looks after the administration for Min y Don, give him a call and say hi!

Pete works part-time on our Maintenance Team. He enjoys keeping Min y Don in good condition and looking its best.
In his spare time Pete loves exploring the local hills of Snowdonia; very handy if we need him to lead one of our groups.

Mark Joined the Min Y Don Team in August 2019. He lives in Tywyn and enjoys motor sport, his involvement in the local church, skiing, tennis and, of course, his role here in keeping Min y Don in good condition for all of our guests.