People

Churchwarden:
Barney Hearnden

I am a solicitor, having spent my career working for CMS in the city, where I am a part time consultant after retiring as a Partner in 2019. I moved to Sydenham Hill with my family in the year 2000, and have gradually been drawn into the community at St Stephens, which has enriched my life. I am the secretary and a director for our local credit union, Lewisham Plus – a community bank owned and run by its members, providing savings products and affordable loans to individuals in Lewisham, Bromley and SE19. In my spare time I enjoy walking our two dogs, growing dahlias, following major league baseball in the US and playing golf at Dulwich & Sydenham Hill Golf Club.

Contact: churchwarden@ststephensdulwich.org

Churchwarden:
Sue Thompson

I joined St Stephen’s with my husband Peter in 2021, after 20 years serving as music coordinator at Herne Hill United Church, where I ran a Youth Choir and occasional Adult Choir for special services, and Peter was organist. I also served as an Elder for 7 years. Before that we lived in Harrogate and attended a Methodist Chapel, where Peter and I were similarly involved, along with our four children. Having begun as a teacher of French and Music in a secondary school in Orpington, since starting a family I have spent my time teaching the piano to generations of children, including our own and now our grandchildren, as well as playing the piano for class singing, leading singing in toddler groups and singing in choirs, including since 2001 the choir of St Stephen’s.

Children and youth work coordinator: 
Richard Sontan

I live in the borough of Lewisham and grew up in Southwark so I consider myself a local. I am a married father of 3.
Although I studied town and country planning at polytechnic many years ago, I have been fortunate to have spent my career in community and youth work for 3 decades. I have travelled to and worked in many countries supporting young people and communities. I am a sports coach too; currently running a youth football team.
My prayer is that our young people will grow in faith, make positive decisions and have an impact upon their immediate and wider community. I am approachable and always happy to listen so please feel free to speak to me personally whenever you see me or send me messages via youth@ststephensdulwich.org.

Deputy assistant churchwarden:
Temple Sambo

Temple joined St Stephen’s 17 years ago when he and his family moved in to the Parish.  Ever since then he hasn’t stopped attending St. Stephen’s even after he and his family moved out of the Parish 4 years ago, as he and his children see themselves as members of the St. Stephen’s family.  Temple is in full time employment working in the Voluntary Housing Sector.  He is married and they have 3 lovely daughters, 2 of whom are fellow servers.

Deputy assistant churchwarden:
Olivia Holmes

Director of Music:   
Oliver Lallemant

Parish Secretary:
Sarah Bucknall

Sarah works in the office on Wednesdays and for a couple of hours on Mondays and Fridays. Among many other tasks, she is responsible for printing the weekly notice sheet and keeping the church calendar and website updated. She is also an amateur photographer and designer, and frequently helps us produce publicity and other materials, including typesetting our Community magazine, Spire.

Contact: office@ststephensdulwich.org

Assistant Organist:
Tommy Hewitt-Jones

Thomas Hewitt Jones is an award-winning composer of contemporary classical and commercial music. Since winning the BBC Young Composer Competition in his teens, his music has been published by many of the major music publishers and is frequently heard in concert and on radio, TV and in the cinema.

Thomas’s diverse catalogue includes small instrumental, orchestral, choral and ballet works, and his large number of choral titles includes seasonal carols. ‘What Child is This?’ (OUP) has become a choral classic of recent years, garnering large numbers of performances each season. His music is regularly featured on Classic FM, including most recently ‘Christmas Party’ (his seasonal violin concerto, written and recorded for violinist Simon Hewitt Jones).

Large-scale works include the Christmas cantata Incarnation, released on Regent Records, and Panathenaia – a Symphony in Stone, which received a premiere in acclaimed violinist Hugo Ticciati’s O/Modernt festival in Stockholm, followed by a UK premiere in the British Museum; both works have libretti by writer Paul Williamson.

Chorister Tutor:
Caroline Lenton-Ward 

studied at the Royal Academy of Music where she was awarded the Charles Norman Prize. On leaving the RAM, she was granted awards from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust for further studies.

Caroline has appeared with the Royal Opera, Opera North, Kent Opera and the D’Oyly Carte, BBC Singers, Sinfonietta Voices and London Voices and sings regularly at St James Garlickhythe. Solo appearances have included performances at the Royal Festival Hall, Bridgewater Hall and Philharmonic Hall with the RLPO, Mozart’s C Minor Mass at the Barbican, Messiah with Sir David Willcocks, the role of the Virgin in Honegger’s opera Joan of Arc with the RLPO, conducted by Libor Pesek, Verdi’s Requiem in Ely Cathedral, Vaughan Williams, A Sea Symphony, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle for the BBC, and Britten’s War Requiem. Caroline was a soloist in James McMillan’s Busqueda for the 10th Anniversary concert of Music for Today series with the Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall, and has been a soloist in TV Times Christmas with the Stars at the Royal Albert Hall.

Caroline has taught singing at Sydenham High School, Forest School, James Allen Girls School and the Grey Coat Hospital School, as well as in the Vocal Faculty at Goldsmiths University of London; she set up and ran the Westminster Choral Project and was the founder Musical Director of the Westminster Junior Singers and Youth Choir; she was on the advisory panel for Go Sing singing in schools project. In addition, she has been a member of the BBC Singers outreach team and works as a consultant in Choral Education. Caroline has also huge experience in conducting choirs including Goldsmiths Chamber Choir; Lewisham Choral Society, and choirs in all her school posts.

Caroline currently trains The Choristers at St. Stephen’s Church, South Dulwich, and they recently featured in the RSCM video of In our Service, written by Thomas Hewitt-Jones for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, as well as releasing their you tube videos Onward we Go , At The Manger and Homeward Light.

In 2025,Caroline was awarded the RSCM Nicholson Honorary Award for her significant contribution to church music..

Contact: soprano@ststephensdulwich.org

Safeguarding officers:
Penny Fuller and Laura Thomas

Contact: safeguarding@ststephensdulwich.org 

Head Sidesperson:
Ovidiu Precup

Reader Emeritus:
Mrs Trot Lavelle

Trot actually travels from Camberwell to St Stephen’s and has done so for over 35 years.  Being a wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother she has always enjoyed the spirituality and deep devotion to prayer at St Stephen’s and feels very  privileged to be a part of the valued ministry team as Reader.
An enthusiastic amateur musician, Trot is very drawn to the richness of the liturgical  music at St Stephen’s.  Having grown up in a very small hamlet in Shropshire, she still delights in the wonderful variation of church music and inspiration it can give.
Together with her husband John they have three children and eight grandchildren – and two dogs who insist on regular daily walks.