Keswick Convention 2026: Behind the scenes...

This article has been published as part of a collaboration between Keswick Ministries and en, which features contributions from the 2026 Convention speakers. Keswick Convention takes place annually each summer, its programme centring on Bible teaching, worship and Christian fellowship.

For more articles from this year's collaboration, visit the Keswick section of en's In Depth page.

Simon Overend serves as Head of Finance at Keswick Ministries. With retirement planned later this year, Sarah Bennington, Head of Development for Keswick Ministries, took the chance to ask him about his 22 Conventions as the team’s longest serving member.

SB: Simon, how long have you been part of the team at Keswick Ministries?

SO: My wife Fiona and I moved to Keswick in the winter of 2004/5, with a two-week-old baby, for me to start in my role at Keswick Ministries. Back then I was the Operations Manager, working in a very small staff team.

SB: What prompted such a big move?

SO: I had worked for Yorkshire Bank for 26 years, ever since finishing my O Levels. I enjoyed it, and we loved Yorkshire, but I felt a call into Christian ministry. Friends prayed with us for discernment, and when the opportunity came up with Keswick Ministries, Fiona and I felt it was the right thing. Keswick Ministries didn’t at first – they didn’t even shortlist me the first time I applied! But later the role was re-advertised – I re-applied and got the job.

SB: How did you find your first Convention in 2005?

SO: Back then, as Operations Manager, it was my job to lead the team to deliver the Convention. It was hard. As a team we knew that we could trust the Lord, and that in God’s strength we were soaring on eagles’ wings, but humanly it felt more like we were flapping like penguins. I could have given up after that first summer – but people came around me, and I learned that “none of us can do what all of us can do”.

SB: What has kept you at Keswick Ministries for over two decades?

SO: I have stayed because of a belief in what the ministry is about. Look at the size and global impact of this event in little Keswick – you can see God in it. I love the centrality of the Bible and the cross, it’s non-denominational, and it’s free to attend. The culture of volunteering across the generations has always been very special too.

SB: What have you seen change in that time?

SO: A lot of things haven’t changed – like keeping the Bible and the cross at the centre of the ministry – but the scale and complexity of the Convention have grown. Things volunteers did in the past have had to be contracted professionally now, like catering and site management. And the site has changed with the purchase of the Pencil Factory site. When I started, we hired nine marquees across two sites. Now we just have two large marquees on the Pencil Factory site which keeps everyone together. It still feels like a family – and demonstrates that we are all one in Christ Jesus.

SB: What are your plans for retirement?

SO: Stepping back this year feels right; we have a great team, and eventually there is a time for all of us to pass on the baton to the next generation. We are in the process of purchasing a campervan, which is Fiona’s dream, and we are going to explore the beauty of the Lord’s creation across the UK. We plan to stay in Keswick, and will always enjoy coming back to the Convention – whilst not thinking too much about it operationally!

SB: Can you share a highlight from your time on the team?

SO: There have been so many, but I’d have to say John Stott’s final address in 2007 on the theme of Christlikeness. That was very special. He was 86 at that point, and he knew it would not only be his last Convention, but his last public speaking engagement. I met him afterwards – I can’t remember what was said, but just to have been there was special.

SB: Thank you, Simon, for your years of diligent service, and may you know the Lord’s blessing as you step into your retirement.