The Rt Honorable Theresa May MP

Theresa was first elected to Parliament for Maidenhead in 1997 and is now the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (since 2009) and the Shadow Minister for Women (since 2007).  She has been a Patron of Mission Direct since its founding in 2004.  Theresa said:

"Mission Direct provides practical ways of rehabilitating some of the world's poorest people to help them get a foothold in society. Crucially it works with local people helping them to achieve what they need so everything they do is of real benefit to the people they are helping. Volunteering for two weeks is one of the most effective ways of engaging with the individual people who need support and providing them with tangible benefits."

Theresa has been a great support to Mission Direct.  You can find more about her from her web site     http://www.tmay.co.uk

The Rt Revd Richard Inwood

Richard is the Bishop of Bedford and has oversight of 150 parishes in Luton and Bedfordshire. "This Christian Charity is making a radical difference to both those who go and those they serve" he says.

He served in Sheffield, London, Bath and Yeovil, before becoming Archdeacon of Halifax in 1995. His wife, Liz is a maths teacher and examiner.  Before ordination, Richard spent a year teaching in north-west Uganda and worked as a research and development chemist with ICI in Manchester for nearly two years.

Lord Bill McKenzie of Luton

Lord Bill McKenzie was appointed as the Lords Minister at the Department for Work and Pensions on 8 January 2007. He became a life peer in July 2004, and in May 2005 became a Government Spokesperson in the House of Lords for the Treasury and a Whip for the Department of Trade and Industry. He was an adviser to Labour's Shadow Treasury team for a number of years, and was a member of the original Fabian Society Taxation Review Committee.

Lord McKenzie was an elected member of Luton Borough Council from 1976 to 1992 and from 1999 to 2005. He was Leader of the Council until May 2003. Born in 1946, Lord McKenzie's accountancy career began in 1968 when he joined Martin Rata and Partners as an articled clerk. He moved to Price Waterhouse in 1973, where he became a partner. He worked for them in many locations, including London, Hong Kong and Vietnam up to 1998.

Lord McKenzie is married and lives in Luton where Mission Direct has its International Head office.