As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?

An actress. I regularly privately rehearsed my Oscar acceptance speech, tweaking it to include new friends I wanted to gush over!

How did you get involved in the mentoring of young people?

I became a Christian when I was 21. There followed a few years of trying out various 'careers' before I very clearly heard God calling me to move to Wythenshawe rather than move to London for an impressive job I'd just been offered. I joined Eden, which was a youth project attached to a local church. The idea was to live incarnationally amongst the young people and their families. Our house was not a 'castle' but a sanctuary. Our time was not fiercely guarded but shared. What worked was our consistency, the 'rain or shine' presence on the same streets as the young people. The level of relationship was potentially much richer.

Who would you like to share a taxi with?

Bono. A taxi ride is usually fairly short. If I was with him for any length of time, I'd disintegrate into a star-struck heap of jelly and make a fool of myself. But in 5 minutes I could keep it together long enough to leave with some dignity but also tell him how much his music and faith and passion has inspired and moved me.

Who has been the biggest influence in your work?

My pastor when I was a volunteer on Eden - Adrian Nottingham. Very wise, very kind, very human. He modelled strong foundations for working alongside communities with love.

And recently, as the years of working with challenging situations threaten to take a toll of cynicism, I've been challenged by Shane Claiborne and The Simple Way Community in Philadelphia. He quotes Mother Theresa, 'There are no great deeds. Just small things done with great love.'

Where do you see young people acting as catalysts for transformation?

There have been a few brave young people I've had the privilege of working with who've dared to be individuals in the face of powerful pack-mentality and stood up and said they were Christians or challenged adults' stereotypes of them, or proved people wrong about 'kids from deprived areas.'

What is your greatest extravagance?

I do quite love pretty beads and jangly necklaces.

Martin Luther King Jr had a dream for society. What is yours?

I dream of a society where destructive cycles within families are broken, permanently, by the hope of Jesus. Families who break the habit of violence or mental ill-health or poverty of aspiration by co-working with, and trusting Jesus. I also dream of a society where people shake off apathy and engage with their partners, children, street, community and country to be 'part of the solution' rather than complain about the problems.

What is the main hindrance to living the dream?

Selfishness and laziness.

Which movie character do you most relate to?

Lisa Simpson, stubbornly optimistic!

What's the one thing you couldn't live without?

The knowledge of the extravagant love of Christ.

How do you stay hopeful?

Right now, God knows. No, He really does.

What would you do with a million quid?

A friend is involved in this thing where small grants are given to groups with a dream who just need some 'financial' encouragement, so they can 'run with their vision'. I love that! I also love Shane Claiborne's idea of relational tithing. They only give to someone who knows someone they know. Any more removed than that and he says you can disengage from the people you're trying to bless. And I would buy my mum a horse.

What is your most treasured possession?

My wedding ring. Ours are engraved with the words from Ephesians 5 v 2.

Who would you invite to your desert island?

My husband and Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan, Jim Wallis, Maya Angelou and Barack Obama. Wow, what a wonderful island!

What is your least / most green credential?

We are a (shameful) 2-car family. But I carbon offset flights and try to grow veg.

What would 'shalom' in education look like 10 years from now?

Investment in skilled teachers, learning mentors and education youth workers. The luxury of time to devote to individualised learning. A continued commitment to early year's programs. Widespread knowledge of different learning styles and needs. More whole-family learning opportunities to exorcise generational bad experiences of education. An embracing of the worth of emotional and spiritual education within mainstream curriculum.

Tell us a joke

What do you call a donkey with 3 legs.......................Wonky Donkey
What do you call a donkey with 3 legs and 1 eye............Winky Wonky Donkey

Ah, the innocence.