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.

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 Strategic Health Relationship Manager, Richard will be supporting delivery of the countywide Move Together physical activity pathway 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 mental health difficulties to benefit from physical activity to improve their health.

Richard enjoys working collaboratively and strategically with a wide range of health and wellbeing partners across the county, to promote and embed the key role that physical activity can play in improving health.

With specialist experience in exercise prescription, including exercise on referral and cardiac rehab, Richard is passionate about the positive impact of 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"

Kathryn joined Active Oxfordshire in June 2022 as Head of Evidence and Impact. Kathryn leads on evaluating Active Oxfordshire programmes and supporting the team to demonstrate how our programmes are benefiting the people of Oxfordshire. Before joining Active Oxfordshire. Kathryn is an epidemiologist and has worked within the health sector for over 20 years with roles including operational management, strategic service design and commissioning. Most recently Kathryn was Head of Service design for a major NHS111 provider until summer 2020 and most recently worked at Oxford Brookes University in the Institute of Public Care. Kathryn brings to Active Oxfordshire a wide understanding of health, social care and public health and understanding of evaluation, needs assessment and research methodology.

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.

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!

Ellie Joined Active Oxfordshire in May 2023. As Active Neighbourhoods Manager, her role includes Active Travel (working with communities to increase walking and cycling), Healthy Place Shaping (supporting the creation of sustainable, well designed and thriving communities and ensuring local peoples voices are heard in the process), and leading on the place ambition of Oxfordshire on the Move (carrying out Movement Friendly Environment Scans across the 10 priority neighborhoods in Oxfordshire to ensure everyone has access to places and spaces that encourage physical activity).

Before joining Active Oxfordshire, Ellie studied business and events management in Birmingham. After getting her degree, she worked at both Youth Ambition and Oxford Hub, focusing on getting children and young people active, which is a huge passion of Ellie's. She also loves building relationships with local people and organisations as Oxford is a very important place to her, being where she was born and grew up.

Ellie has always loved being involved in sport and has ran nationally for Oxfordshire. She also enjoys cycling and team sports as well as spending time by the coast, baking/ decorating cakes and going to watch football!

Favorite quote: "Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve" (Mary Kay Ash)

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"

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

Jess joined Active Oxfordshire in March 2023 as a maternity cover to run our inclusive sports programme, a collaboration between Active Oxfordshire and Access Sport. The programme will support vulnerable children and young people to improve their health, well-being and life chances through sport. She is looking forward to working with community sports clubs and groups to enable them to open their doors to everyone. Making sure that the benefits of sport are accessible for children, county wide.

Jess has worked within the charity sector for the last 10 years helping underserved young people and families using physical activity as a tool to help them overcome challenges and running "sport for good" projects. Through this, she developed a passion for overcoming the barriers that girls face in being active and championing co-produced creative solutions to make sport inclusive to those with disabilities.

Favourite quote: "The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up." — Serena Williams

Ruby 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

Nicole joined the team at Active Oxfordshire in April 2023. As the events and communications coordinator, she supports the team with our projects and events, and shares the work which we do externally, and with our partners and other organisations we work with.

In the past, Nicole has worked with children and young people in different areas, including at a tuition centre and voluntary gymnastics coaching. She advocates for the positive impact being active has on mental wellbeing and is excited to contribute to making sport and physical activity more accessible and inclusive in Oxfordshire.

On the weekends, Nicole coaches Olympic weightlifting to a youth squad, and she also competes in the sport nationally.

Emily joined the team at Active Oxfordshire in May 2023. As the Healthy Communities Programme Coordinator, she works to promote the health benefits of physical activity and coordinates the Move Together pathway, supporting adults who may be facing barriers to physical activity, including older adults and those experiencing physical and mental health challenges, to move more.

In the past, Emily has worked in primary and secondary healthcare, mental health services and care teams. She believes there should be more education around the benefits of physical activity and that it should be more inclusive, so she is excited to be involved in improving pathways to physical activity across the county.

Emily loves to get out in nature and is a keen runner. She also enjoys trying yoga, HIIT and various dance classes.

Favourite Quotes: "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."
"If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

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) .

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!