About Us
The Oasis Partnership has been providing services throughout Buckinghamshire since 1984.
Historically, we’ve been known for our work providing substance misuse services, expertise and recovery support, however in 2019 we revised our charity objects to enhance the support we offer, enabling us to develop new provision focussed on Early Intervention and Prevention, Employment, and a range of Health and Wellbeing initiatives.
Service Developments: Contracts, Collaborations and Fundraising.
Through pioneering partnerships and initiatives, we deliver open-access, socially inclusive, support for the wider communities of Buckinghamshire. With a holistic approach to health and well-being, we believe that our social prescribing model for all members of our community fosters strong connections that provide social, emotional and practical support.
We currently have contracts in place, with Inclusion, MPFT NHS, Oxford Health NHS, Buckinghamshire Council, Adviza, UK Government and Bucks New University. Our services are also funded through donations that include, the National Lottery, the Rothschild Foundation, Heart of Bucks, The Clare Foundation,Wycombe Community Board and donations from the general public.
Oasis is a medium sized charity, with two thirds of our employees working within the One Recovery Bucks (ORB) service, which managed by our NHS partner, Inclusion. Click for One Recovery Bucks
In addition to One Recovery Bucks, the other third of our employees run other projects. We offer an employability service – Routes to Work, which includes Building Futures. Oasis are part of the multi-agency Bucks Safe-haven mental health support team. Oasis provides a Social Prescribing Project, a Media Launchpad Project, Friends2Gether, as intergenerational project funded by the National Lottery, plus with a wide range of partners we offer many different activities and groups, designed to improve health and wellbeing and reduce loneliness and social isolation.
Our Fundraising
Our previous fundraising campaign was a success, helping us make the difference we wanted to make. During the 5 year period to September 2019, we were extremely fortunate to have raised over £1Million, all of which supported the Recovery Network within the treatment system. Since 2020, fundraising plans have been focussed on Covid Recovery, the Recovery Network and developing new projects and activities in line with our refreshed Early Intervention and Prevention ethos.
We have been fortunate to be able to test and pilot new service provision from our base in Chesham. We are now looking to expand these new initiatives within our services in Aylesbury and Wycombe. Our new five-year fundraising strategy – 2023-2028, is focussed on enhancing our existing projects and services, particularly the Recovery Network, our Oasis Cafe model, Social Prescribing and Routes to Work projects.
We are grateful to the many different Trusts, Foundations and Individuals that continue to support our strategic plans, which enable us to develop great services, strengthen our community and become the charity we are today.
Our Mission
To utilise pioneering initiatives to improve quality of life by reducing disadvantage, isolation and loneliness and increasing skills, confidence and well-being.
Our values
Respect. Trust. Excellence. Innovation.
Our values are at the heart of everything that we do, shaping the way we work together with people our staff and volunteers, the way we maintain quality service delivery and the way we constantly strive to remain a successful charity.
Meet the Team
Colin McGregor-Paterson
CEO
Colin has been the CEO of Oasis since 2007, and has been working in the voluntary sector for over 28 years.
Colin is passionate about making a positive difference to peoples lives, using his experiences and creativity to make things happen.
In his spare time Colin spends time with his family and two beagles, and in his spare time you will find him down the cafe allotment.
Colin is a Clore Fellow, a Lay Research Panel member for Alopecia UK and is an on the advisory board for the ADHD Liberty Charity.
Colin is BIP100 club member.
Jenni Parker
Operations Manager
Jenni has worked in the voluntary sector for 20 years in both substance use and criminal justice.
Jenni is a Clore Leadership Fellow, 2021. Jenni's experience of managing service delivery across a variety of settings, both in the community and in prisons, means that she is adept at creative thinking and problem-solving.
Jenni lives on a narrowboat with her rescue dog Maggie and loves all types of hand sewing.
Molly Rice
Friends2Gether Manager
Molly has worked for charities since leaving University, she loves working with people and providing support.
Molly is a slightly obsessed tennis player and loves nature and walking. Has a soft spot for any dogs and also loves bees.
April Sarson
Volunteer Manager
April has a background in theatre management and a passion for learning and development. Having worked with/been a volunteer in human health and wellbeing, animal rehabilitation and theatre, April’s mission is to build and support our volunteer team to ensure Oasis can continue to touch more lives.
Often following April is Gypsy, who takes her role in biscuit quality control very seriously. When not here, you can find April training puppies or at the beach.
Vicky McGie
Assertive Outreach Worker
Vicky specialises in substance misuse and mental health support. She has been a counsellor for around 8 years and is currently studying to be a psychotherapist.
Vicki loves socialising, eating, walking, and playing with her scruffy fluffy doolally dogs.
Zoe Sole
Social Prescribing Project Worker
Zoe has an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in psychology and has worked within the charity sector for over 5 years, specifically relating to mental health and wellbeing.
Zoe enjoys bright colours, crochet, dancing, playing the drums, and has a pet Giant African Land Snail called Goliath.
Jon Martin
Friends2Gether Media Launchpad Project Lead
Jon has over 25 years experience in music and sound production, mainly as a performer/producer in various rock bands. As well as having a lifelong passion for music, both playing and listening to, Jon is a self confessed sports nut and likens himself to a dog in that he’s at his happiest when chasing a ball about (playing football, tennis, squash, golf, cricket).
Jon is a long-suffering Tottenham Hotspur supporter and also watches Chesham United as often as he can.
Kath Dunn
Routes to Work Manager
Kath has worked in the careers sector for 30 years as a careers consultant, and manager. As a member of Wycombe Environment Centre and addicted to podcasts on history and positivity Kath loves connecting people with themselves, each other and with their environment.
Michelle Evans
Routes to Work Worker
Michelle has a background in Education and the third sector enhancing STEM Learning and Capital. She hates photographs but has a beautiful but unphotogenic cat called Marley.
Sarah T
Routes to Work Worker
Sarah has been with Oasis for seven years firstly as a volunteer and for the last six as a RTW worker. Sarah has a cat called Hope and loves everything cooking and baking related.
Caroline Peel
Routes to Work Worker
Caroline started out as an Oasis volunteer, having previously worked in journalism. Caroline loves a road trip and tending the roses in her garden.
Sarah Grey
Health and Safety / Facilities Manager
Sarah has worked in Facilities and property management for 15 years. Sarah has made a substantial difference to the team bringing expert corporate knowledge and experience into Oasis, supporting our value of achieving excellence.
When she’s not fixing buildings, she can be found in a field with her dog Rosie.
Clare Samways
Fundraising Officer
Clare joined our team in November 2019 and graduated from the Open University with an Honours Degree in Social Science in 2022. Clare is dedicated to fundraising and has a passion for making a difference.
In her personal life, she is the parent of two grown-up children and has a Labrador named Lola. When she’s not researching funding opportunities at her desk, Clare enjoys dancing, singing, and cooking – sometimes all at once!
Veronica Hassan
Strategic Business Innovation and Development Manager
Veronica is our Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate. Employed by Bucks New University, where she graduated in May. Veronica is working with Oasis for 2-year project, helping us to develop commercial practices that will generate unrestricted income to support our charity aims.
Veronica has worked in the adult social care sector for over thirteen years working with learning disabilities, mental health, and acquired brain injury caused by substance abuse. Veronica is a mother to two beautiful girls and enjoys cooking with them.
Courtnee Joyce
Oasis Chesham Administrator
Often referred to as “the glue”, Courtnee ensures the smooth running of our service at Bagnall. Though she’s new to the charity sector, Courtnee has been promoting wellbeing and inclusion within the community for over 15 years, working with residents, vulnerable adults and early years children. Courtnee loves to travel and be outdoors, swimming, cycling and exploring with her family and friends.
Sue Welsh
Finance Manager
Sue has been working at The Oasis Partnership for over 14 years and is a fountain of all knowledge for the charity! Sue has built her experience by learning from, our Treasurer’s, and is now the Oasis Finance Manager, part of the leadership team and fundraising committee.
When she is not busy driving around her 3 children, she enjoys playing sports and going for long walks with her Boxer dog Dave.
Theresa Floutier
HR Consultant
Theresa worked for Oasis for 12 happy very years before leaving in Dec 2022. She decided to set up a small admin support business at home and continues to support Oasis from there. Previous to her work at Oasis, she worked for two young people’s drug & alcohol services. Theresa ‘s love is – all animals, but particularly dogs (any shape and size). And her hidden skill (or some say her “only” skill) is that she is a qualified brick layer!
The One Recovery Bucks Team
Destiny Flynn – Community Connector
Michelle Atkins – Community Connector
Alexandra Harrison – Community Connector
Lauren Brewster – Community Connector
Sam Barber -Community Connector
Asha Ajitkumar – Family Practitioner
Reni Carew – Family Practitioner
Chloe Wilson – Recovery Worker
Sophie Honor – Recovery Worker
Trish Greaves – Recovery Worker
Evie Baldry – Recovery Worker
Fabjola George – Recovery Worker
Teresa Dalton – Recovery Worker
Adebayo Adegbola – Recovery Worker
Jodie Mathias – Specialist Assertive Outreach Worker (RSI)
Zachary Nuttall – Specialist Assertive Outreach Worker (RSI)
Dawn Barlow – Substance Misuse Outreach Support Worker
Muhhamad Mohun – Substance Misuse Outreach Support Worker
Philippa Stenning Substance Misuse Outreach Support Worker
Cindy Bond Substance Misuse Outreach Support Worker – Start
date TBA
Varun Kongara- Team Administrator
Heather Atkins – Team Administrator
Kim Millea – Team Manager (North)
Angela Evans – Team Manager (South)
Our Governance
As a charity, Oasis Partnership is governed by a Board of Trustees. Our Trustees are responsible for the general control and management of the administration. Board members lead the overall strategic direction of the organisation. The Trustees meet quarterly for Board meetings whilst also participating in sub-committees to drive forward actions.
Oasis Partnership’s governance procedures are reviewed regularly by the Governance Committee, finance is reviewed by the Financial Scrutiny Committee and business development is led by the Contracts and Tenders Committee.
Our Board Members
The Oasis Partnership Board
Philippe Chaudhry
Board Chairman
Philippe comes to Oasis with a wealth of experience from the private sector, mostly in banking and investment finance, having studied at Harvard University and Cambridge University.
Philippe’s strategic prowess perfectly aligns with our objectives:
- Strategic Investment: Fuelling sustainable growth.
- Diversified Income: Crafting innovations for long-term viability.
- Dynamic Governance: Infusing fresh perspectives into leadership.
- Transparent Impact: Ensuring accountability through insightful reporting.
- Collaborative Partnerships: Amplifying our influence through strategic alliances.
Philippe’s journey mirrors our mission’s evolution. His expert touch ignites innovation, propelling partnerships, and unfurling the latent potential within marginalised communities.
Vacant
Treasurer
To find out more about this role, or to apply, please contact us.
Liz Barter
Trustee Safeguarding Lead
Liz has worked for organisations
supporting adults and young people since leaving school, initially as a support
worker during her BA in History at King’s College London in 2002.
In 2011, she completed an MSc in Clinical and Public Health
Aspects of Addiction at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and
Neuroscience. Following this she spent a year as Programme Manager for Alcohol
and Drugs at Public Health England.
Liz has experience managing a range of community services and
large contract portfolios for care and support organisations, with a particular
interest in business development, regulatory compliance and quality
improvement.
In 2017, Liz joined the Care Quality Commission mental health
hospitals team, a fascinating role that included the regulation of substance
misuse, mental health and learning disability services. This was followed by a
Head of Quality role in a large CAMHS hospital, caring for young people with
mental health problems. Liz is a registered Social Worker, and since 2022 has
been Head of Adult Disabilities Service for a large neighbouring local
authority.
Liz’s other
voluntary roles have included two years as a Samaritan, four years as a Trustee
for Oxford Homeless Pathways, and a current role as Heart of Bucks’ Ambassador
for Isolation and Disadvantage.
“I believe the voluntary sector is vital to challenging
social injustice and inequality, and that people need us alongside them now
more than ever. I am really proud to be part of the Oasis team.”
Emma Darlington
Emma joined us during the pandemic in Sept 2020, whilst she was Community Fundraising & Corporate Manager with the Bobarth Centre in Watford. Before this, she was a Fundraiser with the Epilepsy Society. She loves to travel and learn about different cultures and history. She has been to Kenya on a few charitable trips to help support a community in Embu, north of Kenya. During visits, she helps to educate the children and puts on drama workshops.
Emma studied film studies and drama at school, and she describes herself as a positive and confident individual with strong persuasive skills. She has arranged annual fundraising awards, and shares stories of fundraisers in e-newsletters. She has an individual membership with the Institute of Fundraising which means she can keep up to date with the latest news and updates in the fundraising world.
Aifra Perveen
Aifra joined the board in Sept 2020 with a BSc in Computing & Internet Technology. She is an IT professional who is keen to pursue her chosen career. A good communicator, Aifra works well as a leader and as part of a team. She has volunteered at several different organisations including Wycombe Homeless Connection & Wycombe Museum and is also a school governor at Beechview School in High Wycombe. She is an avid reader and speaks three different languages.
Atim Henshaw
With an MBA from Brunel University and a first degree in Marketing & Management from Bucks New University, Mrs Henshaw has over 8 years of experience working in the Charity Sector for international NGOs. She leads teams in internal and external communications, global marketing and more recently, Community Fundraising.
“I currently lead a regional team which works with our supporters to deliver on our organisational income across England. It is such a pleasure to join the Board of Trustees and I look forward to providing my experience and expertise around fundraising at Oasis Partnership.”
Joseph Baum
Joseph also joined the Board in 2021.
A proud Chesham resident, with a background in communications, Joseph has a particular passion for supporting community groups and young people. For three years he was a local School Governor, working with parents and teachers to improve outcomes for pupils. In addition to that, Joseph re-established the Chesham Youth Council in 2018, to give more young people a voice in the town. This initiative is still going strong today. As a member of both Chesham Town Council and Buckinghamshire Council, Joseph is determined to support the most disadvantaged people in the county.