The Oxygen Team
Oxygen Recovery is managed and run by a professional team who always put their clients at the centre of the work they do. The team work together to achieve a common purpose - changing and improving the lives of people suffering from substance misuse problems.
Below you will find information about our team.
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chief executive
Derek Heath
Derek started working within Supported Housing over 18 years ago. He began as a trainee Support worker at a large hostel in central London and was soon promoted to a drug and alcohol worker specialist. His first managerial role came after 12 months when he was asked to manage a 10 bed third stage house for clients completing Residential Rehabilitation. After five years at Irish Centre Housing, he became an Operations Manager for English Churches Housing Group, managing two services supporting sex workers and clients with varying alcohol and drug and complex mental health needs. When funding was removed for both services Derek took on a new challenge, developing and managing a new 25 bed hostel for armed forces veterans. After three years building up the service, he recognised that he still had unfinished business with his first love, developing alcohol and drug services, and the opportunity to work for a small and innovative charity like Druglink was too hard to resist. Derek has been at Druglink for five years, in which time he has developed and overseen the Oxygen Recovery pathway which is now able to offer clients two years of supported recovery.
area manager
Gary Aldridge
Gary started his career as a Recovery Champion at a treatment centre, supporting those arriving into treatment. As he progressed in this role, he began to see a career path ahead of him and wanted to help people on their path to recovery. He was given his first paid employment as a night worker, concurrently completing the first part of a counselling qualification. Whilst competing the second year, he was employed as a counsellor at Druglink. From this position he has progressed through the ranks and is now Area Manager where he is overseeing all of Druglink’s treatment and housing services. Gary has a level 4 counselling qualification and is currently working towards an accreditation. He has just started his level 4 qualification in health and social care and this year he will also be completing a Gestalt group facilitation qualification. He is also our CQC Registered Manager and is working on his NVQ 5. Gary is very grateful to be in a position where he can aid people on their recovery journey.
oxygen recovery deputy manager
James Dent
James joined Oxygen as an Apprentice Recovery Worker in August 2015, his first role in the field of addiction. Within seven months he had been promoted to Recovery Worker where he is part of Oxygen's dedicated team. He has a Level 2 Counselling Skills qualification, Level 3 Counselling Theory qualification, a Level 4 Diploma in Integrative Counselling and is also a registered member of the BACP (MBACP). For James, it is a privilege to be part of the recovery journey with clients and their families, and to share the joy as they experience the hope of a life free from the grips of addiction. James is a qualified ceramic tiler, he loves football and has three wonderful children and a beautiful wife.
Sinead Jeffers
senior recovery worker
Danielle Hancock
recovery Worker
Mark Barber
recovery Worker
Sean Russell
recovery Worker
Sasha Aylwen
weekend Recovery Worker
Nidi Quli
weekend recovery worker
Allison Lilly
waking night worker
Bukola Azeez
waking night worker
External Partners
Katie Shapiro - Yoga Instructor
Katie is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, which acknowledges the completion of a yoga teacher training with an approved and active Registered Yoga School (RYS). Her style of teaching promotes a dynamic and relaxing experience by moving through unique sequencing of yoga flows. She works with awareness, mindfullness and flow through poses, following the breath and your body. Her teaching allows the mind to rest in meditative relaxation, to restore and rejuvenate. Katie help students to find stillness and focus to manage the difficulties they face in their everyday lives. Under the guidance of her skillful teachers and the lens of her own curiosity, her practice has evolved, unfolded and continues to do so with daily practice. All classes are taught at beginners level with awareness to individual differences and abilities.
