SVS Team

Meet Rob, the CEO of Southampton Voluntary Services. Rob has worked in the voluntary sector since 1999, initially delivering health promotion projects to young people and later working in a development role with the local voluntary sector.

Outside of work Rob enjoys cycling, photography and travel and walking his two dogs.

I have been passionate about the voluntary sector since a young age. I am a Southampton native and believe that working closely with partners across the city, we can achieve great things for the residents we serve.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my daughters. I like running, listening to terrible indie music from 15 years ago and celebrate/commiserate with Southampton FC.

I have been with Southampton Voluntary services since March 2006, where I started as a temp from an agency. I became fully employed in May 2006 and have consequently been with the charity for 18 and a half years. I have seen many changes in the sector over that time, but am extremely proud to have been a part of it for so long. SVS continues to be a vital part of the community. When I’m not at work, my hobbies include travel, music and golf.

Lachlan joined SVS as a Community Development Worker after volunteering with Healthwatch Southampton on a variety of research and consultation projects. Before this, he worked in NHS Talking Therapies and Primary Care Commissioning.

At SVS, Lachlan leads the development of our community of practice for coproduction, and supports partners in Public Health and the University of Southampton on community engagement projects. He also works closely with SVS colleagues on wider support for the VCSE sector, such as promotion of volunteering, advice on funding and organisational governance, and administration of community meetings.

Outside work, Lachlan enjoys delighting and amusing his friends by running indie tabletop roleplaying games for them, building silly websites with no commercial purpose, and jogging trails in the countryside.

I am the Volunteer Development Officer at SVS and have been with the team since 2024. My role is to support the Southampton community with their voluntary efforts. I also deliver training to organisations and groups about how empowering volunteering is and manage the SVS social media pages.

I am a fun mum to a one year old and have a cat called Barry. I enjoy visiting galleries and museums and travelling.

I am part of the Business Support Team and have worked for SVS for 8 years. My role is to welcome visitors when they enter our building, organise room bookings, and various administration to support other members of the SVS team. I enjoy walking my dog Lily, swimming, gardening, sewing, and spending time with my three grandsons.

I joined SVS in 2016 after a break from employment and seeing the value of social prescribing and volunteering firsthand. I believe community brings us together and we all have a role to play in it.

Outside of work, I am a passionate filmmaker, shooting mostly on cine film. When my wonderful children allow it, I also enjoy learning new crafts, such as patchwork and woodwork. Unlike Joe, I dislike running.

Amanda has worked in many different roles within the voluntary sector since 1991. She first trained as a social worker, working in children, families and young people’s services, including residential work, playwork, young carers and family support. Amanda’s role at Sure Start working with the local community to innovate, change and adapt services has led her to her role at Healthwatch in Southampton.

In her spare time, Amanda enjoys sea swimming and playing netball.

Jo joined the Healthwatch Southampton team in the Summer of 2022. Jo has worked in the voluntary sector in Southampton for 20 years with children, young people and families with complex needs. Prior to Healthwatch, Jo was supporting young carers to be heard and shape the current Southampton Young Carers Strategy 2021-2026. Jo enjoys working within communities and supporting people to make a difference to matters that are important to them.

Emma joined the Healthwatch Southampton team in April 2024. She has worked in a variety of roles within the voluntary and community sector in both Southampton & Sheffield over the last 30 years. Her previous experience in community development was working with refugee community organisations, women’s groups, and housing related support. She has also supported young carers & people with mental health issues.