My work in West Oxfordshire 
 

Summary

For many years, I have worked alongside an incredible team, trying to make life better for people in our community who have too often been overlooked. As the Founder and CEO of Synolos, a social enterprise I started with very little money and at great personal risk, I have helped support over 600 young people since 2010, helping them move closer to opportunity, confidence, education, and employment.

​

I built Synolos on the belief that you can do a lot with very little if you are creative, socially conscious, financially careful, and bold enough to take calculated risks. That belief has shaped everything I have done. It has also shown me what is possible when you care deeply about people and refuse to let limited resources limit your ambition.

Now I want to bring that same drive, focus, and sense of responsibility into local politics. This is not about distant decision-making or political theatre. It is about working locally, directly, with and for the people of Carterton North East. It is about listening carefully, acting honestly, and making practical change where it counts.

What began as a fragile idea became something real, a leap of faith that turned into a living organisation, changing lives every day. That journey is still unfolding, still rooted in West Oxfordshire, and still committed to the people we serve.

​

As a councillor, I want to continue that journey on the ground, side by side with the community, making sure every voice matters and every pound spent truly counts.

​

2002 to 2006

In 2002, I began working at Abingdon and Witney College, splitting my time between the Abingdon and Witney campuses. I would go on to become Course Leader for Construction. Over time, I developed a deep interest in behaviour, motivation, and what helps people learn when they have already had bad experiences of education and life. Many of the beliefs, skills, and values that still shape my work today were formed in those years.

2006 to 2010, the wilderness years, preparation for something special in West Oxfordshire

In 2006, I was asked to help develop a vocational department at Meadowbrook College in Oxford. I left Abingdon and Witney College and, for a time, left West Oxfordshire behind professionally. At Meadowbrook, I worked with some of the most remarkable young people in Oxfordshire, many of whom faced huge barriers to learning, had been permanently excluded from school, or had become lost in the system.

​

Those years taught me a great deal about disengagement, inequality, and how deeply rooted social issues can hold young people back. They also confirmed something I already believed, not all young people get the support they need, let alone the support they deserve. Without the right encouragement, guidance, and opportunity, potential is wasted, and that is a loss not only for the individual but for the whole community.

​

I could see that West Oxfordshire needed something different. It was often not seen as an area of obvious need, but I knew there were young people here who were struggling and slipping through the cracks. I felt strongly that something had to be built outside the normal educational mould, something more practical, more human, and more responsive.

2010, the beginning of the return to West Oxfordshire

After four years working in Oxford, I wanted to come back to West Oxfordshire and build something in the place I called home. At that time, the country was still living with the effects of the credit crunch. Youth unemployment was high, especially for those without skills, support, or opportunity. I believed that if nothing changed, many young people risked becoming part of a lost generation, disconnected from work, education, and hope.

May 2010, a moment of encouragement

In May 2010, when David Cameron had just become Prime Minister, I became his first constituent to meet him in that role. I spoke to him about the need for a stronger skills-based curriculum and about the danger of young people leaving education without meaningful opportunities to develop practical work experience. He agreed with much of what I said and offered encouragement in the early stages of what I wanted to build.

I remain grateful for that early encouragement, even though I have serious concerns about the direction many later education reforms took. In my view, the growing emphasis on exam-driven structures has narrowed opportunity, placed excessive pressure on schools, and reduced space for creativity, vocational development, and broader growth.

June 2010, the start of Synolos

In mid-2010, I resigned from a stable job to pursue a much riskier path, building something designed to help those struggling in life move closer to work, confidence, and belonging.

​

That was the beginning of Synolos CIC.

Using personal money and with no start-up funding, I began with seven equipped toolboxes in the back of my car, initially supporting schools and young people through practical skills-based work. Over time, Synolos grew into a recognised social enterprise, working from a large base in Station Lane, Witney, and supporting more than 600 young people by 2022.

​

Synolos has helped shape skills-based alternative training not only in West Oxfordshire but across Oxfordshire more widely. In 2014, the organisation won an Oxfordshire Business Award. Over the years, we built what many described as a mini college, a place where young people could gain qualifications, learn how to work, build confidence, and receive wider support, including mental health support where needed.

At one point, we even ran a shop in Wesley Walk as an experimental educational and training platform, because I have always believed that learning should connect to real life, real responsibility, and real experience.

2010 to the present day

Since 2010, Synolos has continued to develop projects, opportunities, and support for young people across Oxfordshire. It has built a strong reputation for helping some of the most disadvantaged young people in the county, especially those who struggle in mainstream settings or need something more flexible, practical, and human.

​

What has mattered most to me has never been growth for its own sake. It has been impact, helping people who might otherwise be written off to find a pathway, develop belief in themselves, and move towards a better future.

Mental health and community wellbeing

Alongside education and employability, mental health has become an increasingly important part of my work. Through Synolos, through public advocacy, and through my wider campaign work, I have seen how many people need earlier, clearer, and more community-based forms of support.

​

That is why mental health reform, prevention, and resilience remain central to my work in West Oxfordshire. This is not a side issue to me. It is part of a wider belief that communities need stronger, more human systems of support.

2022, encouraging community conversation

In 2022, I created The Voice of West Oxfordshire, a Facebook group designed to encourage local conversation, share concerns, and create a space where community issues could be discussed more openly and honestly.

​

I believe representation begins with listening, not just at election time, but all year round.

2024 onwards, the journey continues

My public work has continued to grow. Alongside Synolos, I launched the Rethinking Mental Health Together campaign and became the author of On The Edge, helping extend my work into a wider public conversation around mental health, language, resilience, and reform.

​

At the same time, I have continued listening to local people, standing for election, and building a stronger independent voice for West Oxfordshire. That journey is still unfolding, but the principle behind it remains the same, local people deserve honesty, practical action, and representation that feels rooted in real life.

​

I am listening, and I will continue to listen. Whatever the result of any election, I want local people to know that their voices matter and that I will keep working to make sure they are heard.

Closing line

My work in West Oxfordshire has never been about image or slogans. It has been about building something real, taking risks where others would not, and standing alongside people who deserve better.

​

That is the same spirit I want to bring to local politics in Carterton North East.

Let the parties play their usual games. Vote Independent.

​

.