Meet the whole Team

Marriage Foundation is led by a dedicated team united by a shared vision to see stronger relationships within families and improved outcomes for children. Together, we combine legal, academic, and communication expertise to promote the proven benefits of marriage and commitment — always with care and compassion for all families.

Team Members

Sir Paul Coleridge

Chairman of Marriage Foundation

Sir Paul Coleridge was a High Court judge in the Family Court from 2000 to 2014. For the thirty years prior to that, he was a family law specialist barrister (Queens Counsel) in London and internationally. In 2012, Sir Paul founded Marriage Foundation as a response to the human cost of family breakdown he had witnessed in the family courts and in order to provide a continuing voice in support of marriage in the public arena.

Sir Paul has lectured and spoken to universities, political groups and charities on dozens of occasions in the UK, Europe and Australia on the subject of family life, family law and family breakdown. He has also been involved in numerous interviews and discussions on BBC radio and TV on family issues.

Paul was married for 52 years and has 3 adult married children and 7 grandchildren

Dr Harry Benson

Research Director of Marriage Foundation

Dr Harry Benson is one of Britain’s leading champions for marriage. His PhD from the University of Bristol is on the psychology of marriage and commitment.

His research findings for Marriage Foundation are routinely cited in the media and by politicians and have made front page news on several occasions. Formerly one of the youngest Royal Navy helicopter pilots to serve in the Falklands war, Harry has spent the last twenty years researching, writing and teaching about marriage and family. As founder of a Bristol charity, he taught hundreds of relationship courses to thousands of couples, including ‘Let’s Stick Together’, a pioneering short programme for new parents evaluated by the Department for Education and delivered mainly through NHS post-natal clinics. He also co-authored influential family policy papers for the Centre for Social Justice.

Harry’s book What Mums Want And Dads Need To Know – co-authored with his wife Kate – reached number 11 on Amazon UK; in it, Harry and Kate share their own back-from-the-brink experience, demonstrating how marriages go wrong and what makes them go right.

Harry’s most recent book Commit or Quit – The Two Year Rule and Other Rules for Romance is for couples starting out and covers how to choose well and how to avoid getting stuck!

Harry and Kate live on a rural small holding, have been married 40 years, and have six adult children.

Michaela Hyde

Executive Director of Marriage Foundation

Michaela is the Executive Director for Marriage Foundation. She is also a freelance presenter – over the years her experience has included hosting large events, children’s TV, health and wellness presenter & coach, and television shopping channels. Since joining the Marriage Foundation team, Michaela has appeared on BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live, Talk TV, LBC, Premier Radio, UCB and Trans World Radio, and has been interviewed on many local BBC radio stations. From 2018 – 2021, Michaela coordinated National Marriage Week. Michaela has a YouTube channel called The Relationship Hub and with her husband, she has hosted her own podcast and presented a radio show called ‘The M Word’.

Michaela is passionate about helping couples build strong, resilient relationships and about communicating evidence on family stability with empathy and understanding. She believes that promoting marriage and civil partnership is not about judgment but about giving every child the best chance to thrive in a stable home.

Michaela has been married to Nick since 1999 and they have two young-adult children.

Patrons

Baroness Butler-Sloss

Elizabeth Butler-Sloss was called to the Bar in 1955; she was appointed a Registrar in the Registry Family Division in 1970 and subsequently a High Court Judge, Family Division (1979-1988) and then to the Court of Appeal (1988–1999). From 1999 until her retirement in 2005 Lady Butler-Sloss was President of the Family Division. She was made Baroness Butler-Sloss of Marsh Green in 2006.

In 1987/88 she chaired the Cleveland Child Abuse Inquiry and was chairman of the Security Commission between 1994 and 2005. She has been the Chancellor of the University of the West of England since 1993 and holds a number of Honorary Fellowships including St Hilda’s College, Oxford, King’s College, London, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Baroness Deech QC

Ruth Deech is Gresham Professor of Law (from 2008) and Chair of the Bar Standards Board (from 2009). She was Principal of St Anne’s College 1991-2004; Chair, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 1994-2002; BBC Governor 2002-06; Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education 2004-08; Board Member, Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism, Tel Aviv University; Chair, Academic Panel, Stuart Young Foundation; Trustee, Jewish National Fund; Trustee, Community Security Trust; Trustee, Coexistence Trust; Executive Council Member, International Society of Family Law.

Baroness Shackleton

Fiona Shackleton was appointed to the House of Lords in 2010; she works with a variety of high-profile clients, primarily dealing with family work. She qualified as a solicitor in 1980, joining Brecher & Co in 1981 and was made a partner later that year; joined Farrer & Co in 1984 where she became a partner in 1987; currently a Partner at Payne Hicks Beach which she joined in 2001; personal solicitor to Prince William of Wales and Prince Harry of Wales; Honorary Doctorate Exeter University, 2010.

Lady Toulson CBE DL

Elizabeth Toulson was called to the Bar in 1974. She is a is a Board Member of Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People and a member of the governing body of Charterhouse. She was High Sheriff of Surrey 2009-10 and has been chairman of the Children’s Society and of Time for Families.

Sir Mark Hedley

Mark Hedley qualified as a barrister in 1969 and practised at the Bar until 1992, specialising in those areas of work that most affect those at the bottom of the social pile. He became a part-time judge and Head of Chambers in 1983. In 1992, Mark was appointed a local circuit judge in Liverpool. In addition he served on a Government Advisory Committee and was course director for family law at the Judicial College.

In 2002, Mark became a High Court Judge specialising in child care and protection and mental capacity law. Mark retired in 2013 but continued to work as requested until 2021. In 2013 he became (and remains) Visiting Professor in Law at Liverpool Hope University.

Mark has lectured and written extensively over the years, including publishing one book on judicial discretionary powers.

Honorary Advisors

Dr Eli Gardner

Eli is a Clinical Child Psychologist with more than 25 years of experience in the NHS. She established the charity Kids Matter in 2017 to help churches deliver scalable, affordable, much-needed early intervention to the most vulnerable families in the country. She is married, lives in London and has three children.

Frank Young

Frank is Editorial Director at the Civitas think tank and he regularly writes for the national media, commenting on issues relating to children and families. He previously worked for the Centre for Social Justice where he established the family policy unit. Frank is also a trustee of a national children’s charity.  He lives in Surrey with his wife Caroline, and they have one son.

Nola Leach

Following a career in education and the Health Service, Nola joined the UK Charity CARE in 2004 to run a range of caring initiatives. In 2004, she was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Head of Public Affairs.  In 2021, she stepped down and now serves on several boards both in the UK and America. She has a passion for growing leaders and is heavily involved in mentoring women organisational leaders across Europe. Nola is increasingly in demand as a writer, speaker and broadcaster.  She was married to Tony, a Headteacher, for 49 years and has two sons and three grandchildren.

Philippa Taylor

Philippa is Director of the Institute of Faith and Culture, a graduate leadership training scheme at CARE (Christian Action Research and Education). She was previously Head of Public Policy at the Christian Medical Fellowship and also a consultant on bioethics and family issues to CARE. She has an MA in bioethics and for over 25 years she has been speaking, writing, advising and working on a wide range of contemporary family and bioethics issues in the UK. She is Deputy Chair of the Evangelical Alliance Theology Advisory Group, a Trustee of the Relationships Foundation and on the Committee of the National Club. She is married to an Anglican vicar and has three adult ‘children’. 