William Ayot
William Ayot is an award-winning poet, international facilitator and ritualist. He has been leading men’s retreats, rites of passage and initiatory events since 1992. He teaches and coaches around the world and holds rituals at his purpose-built site in Wales. Writing includes, “Email from the Soul” (poetry) & “Re-enchanting the Forest: Meaningful Ritual in a Secular World” (prose.)
William Ayot began leading men’s and mixed workshops in rehab and prisons during the early nineties. He later joined Wild Dance Events, organising and hosting large-scale men’s events for teachers like Robert Bly, Michael Meade, James Hillman, Malidoma Somé, Martín Prechtel and others, while leading initiatory rites of passage retreats at Cae Mabon. As a co-founding director of Olivier Mythodrama, he worked around the world, teaching leadership through story, theatre practice and ritual. He currently teaches on the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD.
William leads workshops and seminars on personal development topics and creates and conducts private rituals and ceremonies. He lives in Monmouthshire with his wife, the psychotherapist and teacher, Juliet Grayson.
Simon Roe
Simon Roe originally trained as a body psychotherapist with Nick Totton and Em Edmondson and has nearly 30 years’ experience of working with individuals and groups For the past twenty five years he has focused on working with men and teenage boys in a variety of settings including group work, 1-1 psychotherapy and Rites of Passage events. He has worked extensively with perpetrators of domestic violence, both adult and teenage and is a Respect (www.respect.uk.net) approved trainer and supervisor. From 2009-2017 he co-developed and delivered the ‘Do it Different’ programme, working with teenage boys using violent and abusive behaviour at home, which is recognised as an example of best practice.
Simon has been greatly influenced by teachers such as Robert Bly, Malidoma Some and Martin Prechtel. Most recently he has completed a foundation course in Process Oriented Psychology, an approach which increasingly informs his practice.
Simon is a fully accredited member of The Association of Facilitators. Please visit www.simonroe.net for more information about his work.
Kingfisher Project Team
The Kingfisher Project team also includes Eric Maddern, Marcus Joseph, Ben Howarth, Anthony Haddon, Richard Sylvester, Lee Stagles, David Edwards, Jeremy Hawkey & Sean Taylor.
The project is led and staffed by experienced men’s work facilitators. Each of these men will have undergone their own initiations years before, establishing them as ‘ritual elders’ ready to oversee, advise and support the men of trust, while providing pastoral care for the teenagers themselves.
Safeguarding all participants is our absolute priority, and all participating men have enhanced DBS clearance.