Goodbyes, Hellos & What’s Next at Discovery College
As we reach the halfway point of 2025, we’re reflecting on our achievements and a time of change here at Oxfordshire Discovery College.
Warm welcomes and heartfelt goodbyes
In May, we said goodbye to our founder and volunteer CEO, Laura Harte. Laura has been the driving force behind ODC and remains a cherished part of our family. Her vision and care have shaped all we do. We're also sad to say farewell to three brilliant staff members: Frankie, Justina, and Pia, whose passion and commitment have helped
bring ODC to where it is today. They will be deeply missed and we wish them every luck for the future. At the same time, we’re delighted to welcome Frances Wheare (Fundraising) and George Ugwo (Finance) to our Board of Trustees. Their skills and experience will help shape the next stage of our journey and we’re excited to have them with us as we take our next steps.
Summer reset, Autumn restart.
We are pausing programme delivery over the Summer, to give us an opportunity to refocus and ensure that everything we deliver remains high-quality and truly impactful. We will return in the Autumn with two key programmes: Supporting CYP who Self-Harm for parents and carers, and Big Feelings, which helps primary-aged children
build emotional literacy and resilience. The parent and carer programme has supported many families so far, with feedback still incoming about its positive impact. September will also see one of our programmes delivered for the first time by a paid and volunteer facilitator team bringing even greater diversity and lived experience to our work. We’re always happy to hear from anyone interested in volunteering with us, do get in touch!
Evidence of change:
Having now delivered our Big Feelings programme across multiple locations in Oxfordshire, we’ve taken a deep dive into our impact data—and the results are really encouraging. Over 80% of participants tell us they enjoy the programme, completion rates are high, and wellbeing measures show sustained improvements in self-esteem, mood, and emotional regulation.
Support that makes a difference:
We’d like to say a special thank you to our trustee Liam and his team, who ran the Manchester Marathon in support of ODC raising over £1,400! We are always hugely grateful for fundraising efforts like these, which have a huge impact on the work we do. If you’d like to make a donation, know of a trust or foundation that might be interested in supporting us, or have a great fundraising idea, we’d love to hear from you. Every contribution helps us continue our mission to improve youth mental health across Oxfordshire.
Thank you, as always, for being part of the Discovery College community.