WHO WE ARE
OUR STORY
The need for a charity for young people in Winchester emerged from the local homeless and night shelter projects. Many of the adults using these services had experienced difficulties in childhood and were at risk of unemployment and homelessness before they had reached 16, and so, in 1983 the charity was formed.
The charity was called ‘Winchester Detached Youth Work Project’ whose core work was to reach out into the community to get to know and understand young people and their needs in order that support could be offered. This ‘detached’ (non-centre based) approach to working with young people was not commonplace at the time, but is now widely regarded as an effective way to reach out to young people with unmet needs that are not engaging with other services. We have been well-placed to identify and respond to the changing needs of individuals and the wider community ever since.
In 2004, the young people using the service at the time felt that the charity name was outdated and so they chose ‘Street Reach’ as the re-branded name of the charity.
In recent years, we have achieved steady and sustained growth and our outreach work now takes place in four communities in Winchester every week. We have expanded the scope of our work by taking on the delivery of youth provision at Micheldever Youth Club, a club providing vital support and opportunities to young people in this rural area of Winchester. Alongside our core work, Street Reach are committed to offering targeted projects and experiences that engage, inform and challenge the young people we work with.


YOUNG PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF OUR WORK
Our work with young people is always on a voluntary basis and our approach is founded upon building relationships over time. Through listening to the young people we work with, we are able to adapt and respond to their needs in order to provide effective support. We work in partnership with the young people to design creative and engaging projects.

OUR TEAM
The staff and trustees at Street Reach have a variety of backgrounds and skills. Our team are trained, experienced and passionate about working with young people.
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Ben Martin Chief Executive Officer
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Lottie Clist Operations Manager
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Stella Bowling Project Administrator and Fundraiser
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Sarojini Social Media and Marketing Lead
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Hannah Project Lead - Youth Worker
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Charlette Youth Worker
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Holly Youth Worker
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Claudia Youth Worker
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Samantha Youth Worker
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Pete Youth Worker - Digital Music Lead
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Lucy Youth Worker
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Sarah Pease Chair of Trustees
Sarah joined Street Reach as a trustee in May 2022 and became Chair of Trustees in November 2022. Sarah’s professional career was in the aviation industry where she specialised in operational and corporate strategy. She has lived in Winchester since 1995, with her two daughters growing up and going to school in the city, In her spare time, Sarah enjoys reading, yoga, and wine tastings
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Roy Patterson Trustee
Roy became a Trustee in May 2022 and was appointed Vice-Chair of Trustees in March 2023. He is a Chartered Accountant who has worked in senior finance roles in a variety of industries as well as having significant experience in the management of Procurement, Commercial, IT and HR functions. He has a keen interest in providing young people with the best possible opportunities for their personal development. Roy has lived in Winchester since 2008. Now retired, he enjoys keeping fit and playing golf.
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Katy Toms Trustee
Katy is our Treasurer and has enabled us to plan our work by devising a bespoke accounting spreadsheet to monitor our annual spending, thereby ensuring that we keep to our budgets. She is also very active in Micheldever where our youth club is held, holding various roles including Parish Councillor and Trustee of the local Pre-school.
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Dave Stow Trustee
Dave has been a trustee at Street Reach since 2016, and chaired the board of trustees from 2018 to 2022, where he was part of Street Reach’s growth and improved financial sustainability, and helped the charity survive and continue to deliver on its mission during the pandemic. In the past Dave has been a volunteer and day lead for the Samaritans, and was also a trustee for the local branch for two years. During the day Dave works at Ordnance Survey where he has a special interest in the effective administration of land and the positive social impact this has on the people of a country; he has spoken on this topic at a number of international conferences and holds a number of patents in the technology used in this domain.
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Joanne Benson Trustee
My background is in the heritage sector, curating and managing local museums. I have had particular experience running community arts and culture projects; working with artists and other educators to encourage those who do not normally engage in the sector to invest in their local environment and heritage.
As the mother of two girls I am very aware of the pressures on young women and am interested in how Street Reach can help address these issues with those they encounter. -
Claire Heath Trustee
Claire has worked in the charity sector for over 20 years in a range of leadership, fundraising and project management roles. She is currently Head of Partnerships at national sporting charity Switch the Play Foundation, where she is responsible for all fundraising and communications activity. She joined Street Reach as a Trustee in September 2020. Claire has lived in Winchester since 2012 with her husband and two cats and enjoys running and yoga in her spare time.
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Andrew Gardner Trustee
Andrew joined Street Reach late 2020 as a first-time trustee, looking for a way to make a positive community contribution helping young people. Andrew’s career experience has been mostly in the hospitality sector in commercially focused contractual relationship management roles. Andrew lives in Winchester, is married with two children and enjoys cycling, walking and tennis, plus being a Cub Scout Leader.
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Rebecca Dunn TrusteeRebecca joined the board of trustees in December 2020, as she wished to contribute to the local community in her spare time and is particularly passionate about helping all young people to fulfil their potential.She currently works in Compliance within the legal sector and also volunteers for Hampshire Children’s Services outside of work. Rebecca is the Lead Trustee for Safeguarding, supporting the Designated Safeguarding Officer and the staff team to ensure that service users are protected from harm. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys Latin & Ballroom dancing, yoga, watching football and cooking.
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James Cross
James is currently studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Winchester and is in his final year. He joined Street Reach as a trustee as of July 2022, and does it alongside other volunteering roles for a children’s charity and a patient centred medical charity. When he’s not studying or volunteering, he is a professional chef at a local dementia care home and his hobbies include running, swimming, squash and tennis. Following graduation he hopes to start his career in the charity sector and remain a part of Street Reach for many years to come.
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Charlie Palmer-Cogan
Charlie is a former Project Lead Youth Worker between 2015-2018, throughout his time at Winchester University and for a year after graduating. He has since remained a keen supporter of Street Reach and joined the board of trustees in July 2022. Charlie now lives in London where he works as a marketing manager for Marks and Spencer. Outside of work, he enjoys attending gigs, festivals and watching sport, as well as playing football and learning Thai boxing.