BISC Team

Alison Dawson

Director

What’s your background?

Most of my career has been in the Higher Education sector, most recently as Head of Events at the University of Bristol. When I finished studying my first role was as a volunteer with the Taizé Community, where I mucked in with various jobs at the community in France, but also spent a few months in Barcelona working with local churches to organise a big youth event. Living in an international community was an amazing experience and, looking back, planted the seeds for where God was leading me twenty years later.

What do you love about BISC?

I love that at BISC there is no majority culture - we’re in the UK, but other than English being the common language we could be anywhere. I love listening to the students talking about their country, families, and what’s important to them. And it’s a privilege to watch students who first arrive looking anxious, relaxing into the environment and starting to feel at home.

What do you like doing in your spare time?

I love music, reading and being outdoors. My perfect weekend is heading out to the countryside with my husband and two boys to enjoy hilltop views or tramp through muddy woods!

Benjamin Drury

Operation Manager

What’s your background?

I grew up very close to Bristol and never left! I did a degree in Urban Planning at UWE and my former role was as Operations Officer at inHope, a charity in Bristol. Before then I used to run a gardening business. I became a follower of Jesus when I was 20 and knowing him has been the most important thing in my life ever since. 

What do you love about BISC?

It’s an amazing opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Everyone is welcome and treated with warmth and kindness. It’s a great place to talk and listen. The people behave like a family, whether you’re far from home or not- even if you’ve always lived here! I also love to learn about new cultures and BISC is definitely the place to get a broader, global perspective. It reminds me that God is much bigger than any one culture or language and definitely that God isn’t just for one group of people.  

What do you like doing in your spare time?

I love to write music - I play lots of instruments and like to write songs about God. I’m very interested in history and talking about philosophy and almost anything with people coming from different perspectives. I also love spending time with my wife exploring the outdoors, especially by the sea and in the water. We try to spend as much time as we can wild swimming or surfing!