Meet the Director of Petrus, Service Leads and Fundraising Officer below. If you'd like to find out more about us and the work we do or just want to say hello, please get in touch at petrus@petrus.org.uk
I have had the pleasure of working at Petrus for 18 years, having initially joined the team in 2005 as a support worker. As the operating and strategic landscape has changed and evolved, so too has our charity and the confidence and achievements of those who pass through our doors.
As Petrus Charity Director, I am exceptionally proud to be a part of what everybody – from our service users, volunteers, teams to supporters, partners and stakeholders- bring to our charity to shape and drive our community forward and create safe places where all people can flourish.
Charity Director
I am a dedicated Service Lead at Petrus with more than 7 years of experience in combining management and customer service expertise in supported housing for vulnerable adults with mental health issues. Within my role as Service Lead, I work to inspire and motivate others, supporting and coaching our staff and volunteers.
Before Petrus, I worked as Lead Youth Worker for Rochdale Borough Council for 17 years, responsible for all youth provision in the Pennine area. I also completed an honours degree in Youth and Community Work and a Masters in Leadership in Integrated Services.
I love my job because I am part of an amazing team who work together to achieve our shared goal of supporting people to access accommodation and services, empowering them to make choices on decisions that affect their futures.
Petrus Service Lead - Supported Housing Oldham
I am a passionate Service Lead with 16 years’ experience in the housing sector. My experience is in customer service, customer accounts, leadership, service improvement and supported housing. I have always had a keen focus on homeless prevention and working with agencies across the sector. Petrus' vision to end homelessness and build communities is something that really stands out, whether you speak with colleagues or service users.
I love that I can use my skills to develop the service and its employees to deliver the vision and values Petrus has, expanding the Petrus name within the community and creating strong networks across Greater Manchester. My values align with Petrus as everyone is always striving for improvement and we do this by working with service users to ensure their voice and experiences are used to tailor the service and create real change within our communities.
Service Lead, Supported Housing in Rochdale and Burnley
I am delighted to be Service Lead for our day service provision at Petrus. This role includes Petrus Hub, Greater Manchester Housing First Team for which I am zone lead, social prescribing, engagement and volunteering projects including our horticultural therapy project, PIER. I stepped into this role following 3 years as service manager for social prescribing and 7 years as the Engagement and Development Worker for PIER. I have a degree in Psychology with a post graduate diploma in social and therapeutic horticulture.
I am passionate about supporting people therapeutically in creative, person-centred ways that empower individuals to take control of their lives, improve their health and wellbeing and connect to the wider community.
Petrus Service Lead, Day Service Provision
I have worked for Petrus for over a decade, coming with my own experience of homelessness and substance misuse having spent some time rough sleeping at the age of 16 and rebuilding my life through accessing support services. I started my journey at Petrus as a trainee, since then I have worked across our various supported housing schemes and as our Town Centre Outreach Worker, providing support to rough sleepers in the community. Over the years I have gained a wealth of knowledge and developed my skills, which I now use within my role as Service Manager for our women’s supported housing and in our day, support services for women.
I love working for Petrus and being part of an inspiring team that share the same values and vision. I am grateful to have the opportunity to empower women to achieve their goals and make informed choices.
Petrus Women's Service Manager
I started my journey with Petrus in July 2020 as Team Leader for our Housing First team, of which Petrus is a lead delivery partner in the Greater Manchester pilot. I bring to my role 20 years’ experience of supporting vulnerable women who may have been sex working or homeless, looked after children and survivors of domestic abuse as well as 16 years of specialist substance misuse work and knowledge of intervention services to prevent reoffending.
What stands out the most about Petrus is the care, passion and dedication of each team. Petrus has values that I believe in and for me they are not just written on a piece of paper but are lived daily by our staff. We not only empower people we support but encourage our teams to develop and grow. My passion is to enable people to be the change in their own lives and to encourage and nurture the positive changes they want to achieve.
Petrus Service Manager
I started my career with Petrus back in 2007. Over the last 16 years I have worked on various services including Homelessness Prevention, Women’s Services, Housing First and Changing Futures.
Having progressed to the role of Service Manager I now oversee the day-to-day management of the Petrus Hub building including various commissioned services such as PHP Homelessness Prevention and Intervention, Town Centre Outreach, Home from Hospital Discharge Pilot and Changing Futures.
I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to my role and thrive on developing my team to ensure they demonstrate our values and work towards Petrus’s vision.
Service Manager, Petrus Hub and associated services
I joined Petrus in January 2021 as a Social and Therapeutic Horticultural practitioner after 16 years as a Social Science teacher and wanting a career change. I wanted a role that would combine my love of gardening and horticulture whilst still working with people to help them develop and grow. Through this new role, I was able to observe the benefits individuals gained from working with nature, taking a holistic approach to improving mental and physical health.
In November 2023 I became Service Manager for Health and Wellbeing. I am passionate about providing opportunities for our volunteers and service users to access a wide range of activities that will enable them to gain new skills and experiences that will allow them to achieve their goals.
Service Lead, Health and Wellbeing
I have recently joined Petrus in October 2023 after spending the last 10 years working within substance misuse services. I have had a variety of roles which included managing community based and residential rehabilitation services and overseeing a supported housing project.
I am passionate about helping and inspiring people to fulfil their potential by supporting others in developing and defining their goals. I am qualified in coaching and mentoring and as an NLP practitioner and use these skills when supporting staff and service users.
I am excited to work as part of a charity that helps and supports people of all backgrounds to gain their own home and improve their opportunities to safe secure housing.
Service Manager
After leaving a 27-year career in education, working with vulnerable families across Oldham. I joined supported housing and loved the experience from the very first day. I started working for Petrus in April 2022, I am passionate about homelessness, empowering people and supporting them with opportunities for their futures. Day by day we come across a new challenge, which inspires me to grow and learn how to work with the challenges which face our service users.
I am supported by colleagues who share my passion to support the most vulnerable members of society. Petrus has an inspiring team who support each other every day. The passion of my colleagues across Petrus is one of the best aspects of my role. I am proud to work here with so many talented people who share my values for homelessness.
Service Manager, Supported Housing Oldham
I came to Petrus as a Service Manager in May 2022, after leading and developing various care and support services across Rochdale, Oldham and Tameside over the last 10 years.
I love working at Petrus - it's incredible to be surrounded by colleagues who are so passionate about people, places and delivering positive, demonstratable and high impact support services.
The commitment, vision, ethos and drive that Petrus has as a collective organisation gives me great pride and it is a honour to say I am part of the Petrus team.
Service Manager
I could not be happier with life as the Fundraising Officer for Petrus.
I was welcomed with open arms from each and every person associated with Petrus and was made to feel part of the family right away. I have learnt so much in my time here and about the incredible work that goes on to help our service users and those in need.
As the dedicated fundraiser for Petrus I am extremely driven and ambitious to create strategic partnerships and raise the funds necessary to help us excel and help as many people as we can.
Fundraising Officer