Our Team

Josh moved to Oxfordshire in 2011 and joined Active Oxfordshire in 2016. Josh has led Active Oxfordshire's strategic work around Children & Young People and Active Travel until 2022 when he became Chief Executive.

Josh is passionate about working with those facing greatest challenges to physical activity, and how collaboration across sectors can help embed physical activity as a societal norm.

Before joining Active Oxfordshire, Josh worked in delivering Physical Education and coaching to young people across the Thames Valley.

Favourite Motto: Aude Sapere – Dare to be Wise

Hero or Heroine: As a Welshman growing up in rural Devon, Scott Gibbs' try in the 1999 5Nations to prevent an England Grand Slam gave me a few months of bragging rights.

Lucy Tappin - Active Communities Manager (Lead for Mental Health, Older People and Co-Lead for Disability and Long Term Health Conditions.

Lucy has worked within the Sport and Physical Activity sector across Oxfordshire since 2002.

Lucy has specialised experience and extensive knowledge in developing and promoting physically activity opportunities for people with disabilities and mental health conditions.

She has been involved in participating, officiating, coaching and volunteering at a Local and National level and has led the delivery of Active Body Healthy Mind, Boccia Revolution, OxForward, InSport, Wheels for all and many cross cutting projects to encourage people to be more Active.

Favourite Motto - No matter what life throws at you, there is always somebody worse off than you. Be thankful for what you have.

Hero or heroine - Tanni Grey Thompson - gifted and courageous sportswomen, influential and iconic figure, massive ambassador for disability sport.

Steph joined Active Oxfordshire in October 2018 as the new Children and Young People Manager to deliver Sport England funded programmes. Steph's expertise lies in volunteer and event management where she has worked for the past 10 years in various roles and areas. Highlights have included recruiting volunteers for film premiers in London, the London Marathon and organising Countywide sports days for elderly residents living in Care Homes. Steph has always been a passionate sports player and sees the benefit that sport and physical activity can have, both physically and mentally. She is really looking forward to working with children and young people to enable them to be more active and make a real difference to the lives of those living in Oxfordshire.

Favourite Motto: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give"

Hero or Heroine: My mum. Full of energy, selfless and never gives up, she is my heroine!

Annie joined Active Oxfordshire in April 2019 to work collaboratively and strategically with key partners and stakeholders across the county to reduce physical inactivity, improve population health and address priority health needs in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.

In September 2021 Annie joined the Active Partnership Network National Team on a secondment from Active Oxfordshire, to provide the strategic health lead supporting Active Partnerships to embed physical activity as a whole systems approach into Health and Care systems. She is also the Live Longer Better Project Manager, working with our first Patron Sir Muir Gray, national networks and Active Partnerships across the country to develop a new culture – from care to enablement, using activity as the driver to increase healthspan for older adults and reduce dependency on health and social care.

Having started her career as a P.E. teacher, lecturer and assessor, Annie now has extensive experience of Health business at National and European level, with specific expertise in cardiovascular health prevention, treatment and management through activity and exercise interventions, and workforce training. Annie has worked closely with Health Commissioners to provide and manage various community health services across England and Ireland, leading clinical and non-clinical teams.

Annie is passionate about maximising physical activity as a fundamental means of improving physical and mental health for our communities – it is such an untapped resource which needs exploiting! Let's get on and do it…..

Favourite motto: You are the CEO of your own life – go for it!

Lucy joined Active Oxfordshire in August 2019 having previously worked alongside the team for work experience during her studies at Oxford Brookes University. Lucy has undertaken a couple of different roles within Active Oxfordshire, most recently joining the Healthy for Life team as Healthy Communities Project Coordinator supporting the operations of the Move Together Pathway. Keeping one day back to work on communication and engagement.

A fitness fanatic, Lucy takes part in various classes throughout the week at her local gym.

Favourite Motto: "Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today".

Matt joined Active Oxfordshire in January 2020. Matt has worked in local government, third sector community, and sport organisations as well as national and regional level for Sport England. In 2011, he took a break from the sport for development sector to write a book; 'The Other Olympics', and work as a journalist in Myanmar.

Hero/Heroine : Tommie Smith, for his use of sport as a tool for good, both in his 1968 Olympic protest and his subsequent youth and education work.

Helen joined Active Oxfordshire in April 2020 in the role of Communications and Engagement Manager. Helen leads on all aspects of external and internal communications including managing key campaigns, website and digital development, increasing organisational profile, engagement events and media relations. Before joining Active Oxfordshire Helen has worked within marketing, communications and fundraising in the third sector since 2005 for a range of organisations including ActionAid, regional hospices and, most recently, Aspire Oxford.

Favourite motto: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)

Richard joined Active Oxfordshire in December 2021 following over 15 years working in the leisure and Community Development sector. As Business and Programme Manager Richard will be supporting delivery of our Sport England funded programmes and Active Oxfordshire's 'Healthy for life' pillar of work, promoting and creating opportunities for older people, adults with long-term health conditions and those living with a mental health problem to benefit from physical activity to improve their health.

Richard is also responsible for overseeing Active Oxfordshire's governance to ensure effective management and administration of the charity.

With specialist experience in exercise prescription, including exercise on referral and cardiac rehab, Richard is passionate about the positive impact of sport and physical activity for everyone and continues to work as a Personal Trainer around his role at Active Oxfordshire.

Richard regularly attends the gym and enjoys finding different ways to be active, including years of playing football locally.

Favourite Motto: "Someone else is dreaming about the things you take for granted"

Harmy joined Active Oxfordshire in August 2021 and is a part of our extended Marketing and Communications team. Harmy studied Sports Development and Coaching Sciences at Bournemouth University, before gaining experience in a Secondary School, the Leisure Industry and most recently Project Management.

His role will encompass various projects and interventions including: 1) Developing our work internally and externally around Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. 2) Supporting and facilitating the Active Ambassador Programme as it grows and acts as a key pipeline for community representation throughout all of our work. 3) Finally, working closely with our Communications team ensuring our social media channels are up to date and supporting our events.

Harmy is a lover of sports and most heavily focuses on running, currently training for an Ultra Marathon in 2022.

Favourite Motto: "Life is like riding a bike. To keep your balance, you must keep moving"

Bev qualified as a Management Accountant in 1997. She went on to spend 18 years climbing the corporate ladder in the Motor Industry, during which, she lived and worked in Sweden for a few years before achieving UK Chief Financial Officer of a well-known car brand. More recently whilst balancing a young family, Bev has worked part time for a small manufacturing business in Oxfordshire before moving to Active Oxfordshire in April 2021. As Finance Manager at Active Oxfordshire, Bev manages all aspects of the finance function which includes forecasting, budgeting, audit work, reporting and day to day finance management.

Bev enjoys going to the gym, cycling with her family and walking the countryside with her cocker spaniel.

Favourite quote/motto: Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.

Hayley joined Active Oxfordshire at the start of 2022 to run our inclusive sports programme, which will support vulnerable children and young people to improve their health, well-being and life chances through sport.

Access Sport Oxfordshire is a new collaboration between Active Oxfordshire and Access Sport, with generous support from Mark Beard, High Sheriff in nomination for 2022-23. Having worked for three years as Development Manager for Access Sport in Oxford, Hayley will be taking the inclusive sports programme county wide. She is looking forward to working with community sports clubs and groups to enable them to open their doors to everyone.

A keen netballer, Hayley also brings with her experience in competitive sport, having worked for a number of years as Event Manager for British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) .

Paul has worked for 39 years to help people in teams, organisations and communities make sense of what is happening, explore ideas and make informed decisions. His career has included roles in accountancy, business analysis, training, facilitation, social change and research.

More recently, his work has led him to adopt an innovative approach to nudging and navigating change in complex systems through the way people make sense of their lived experience. He has used this approach on more than 20 projects in 9 countries since 2014 and is now acknowledged as a leading practitioner.

During the last 2 years he has used his skills and expertise in a local setting in part-time roles with the Community & Wellbeing Team at West Oxfordshire District Council and is now working with Active Oxfordshire to help mobilise and grow a social movement for movement.

Favourite quote/motto: "We live life forward and understand it backwards." - Soren Kierkegaard

Natalie is our Workforce Lead and Healthy Communities Officer. She has been with Active Oxfordshire for some time now using her expertise and experience on a number of successful projects and programmes including the Bikes for Key workers during the pandemic. She is currently with the team on developing and strengthening the Move Together Pathway and supporting the delivery of Active Medicine across the county.

Favourite quote/motto: "fail hard, fail hard, fail often! That is how we learn!" John C Maxwell

I feel really privileged to be able to join Active Oxfordshire as Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator

I have a background in working in Early Years before moving to work for a local charity. I am also a Trustee of a local charity which support people with physical disabilities to be able to engage in learning and leisure activities. I am incredibly passionate about inclusion and the importance of hearing real, lived experience to help to educate and influence change. I have volunteered with both local and national charities as well as worked on Co-production projects to help inform change for disabled people.

I am massive football fan and enjoy engaging in physical activities such as wheelchair basketball and cycling and I also enjoy challenging myself to raise funds for charities which have meaning to me. One of my passions lies with grassroot sports as I believe this is where some people are working hard on inclusion and trying to establish positive environments for those individuals who face barriers to sport and physical activity. I am really privileged to help coach a football team for children with physical disabilities and it's a joy to be a part of this. It is my belief that when truly inclusive environments are created, the possibilities are endless, and the memories last a lifetime.

Favourite quote- 'Diversity is about counting people, inclusion is about insisting they count' Atif Choudhury