About Us
Bringing together our local community
Our mission
Our Mission is to create a volunteer led, not for profit, community hub to deliver positive social impact with a sustainable business model whose activities benefit the community through our family of like minded organisations.
Unit 12 is an organisation which believes in building a positive community. It is run from a building in Winnall, which is owned by Winchester City Council. Unit 12 aims to provide excellent learning opportunities for all who use it by building links with support services and working alongside professional performing arts organisations.
Unit 12 is passionate about changing the perception of what community should be by providing activities and opportunities that are suitable for all ages, abilities and backgrounds to participate together.
Our vision
Our vision is to provide a variety of activities which allow people to collaborate through the medium of the arts, sport, youth work and support networks which offer a service in the form of personal and social well-being. We aim to be a flexible community which provides a safe and secure environment for people of all ages, abilities and walks of life to meet and learn or to develop new skills.
WE ENVISION UNIT 12 TO BE A THRIVING HUB OF COMMUNITY FOR EVERYONE.
Meet Our Team
Volunteer Directors
Unit 12 is a non-profit organisation run by a board of Volunteer Directors.
Charlie Sapey
Volunteer Director
Charlie is a founding member of Unit 12 and also Director of Integr8 Dance.
Volunteer Director
A Volunteer Director of Unit 12 and is both a Legal Director at Capsticks Solicitors LLP and current Winchester City Councillor.
Volunteer Director
Former director of Water Logic uk.
Volunteer Director
Gill founded Winchester Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic and is a Tenant at Unit 12.
Volunteer Director
Caroline started as a Volunteer for the Pantry and has now joined the board.
Volunteer Director
Virginia has lived in the Winchester area for over 30 years and runs her own sales consultancy. She brings her expertise to help us win some much needed grant funding.
Volunteer Director
Liz has lived in Winchester for over 20 years, with her husband and daughter. She started as a community cafe volunteer with Unit 12 in May 25. She also works as an independent HR consultant and brings her HR experience to support the team at Unit 12.
Volunteer Director
Jane trained as a Mental Health Nurse and progressed into senior leadership roles within NHS and independent healthcare organisations. Her career included Chief Operating Officer positions at Hampshire Partnership Trust and the Priory Group, and she was part of the founding management team of Aspris in 2016. Jane served as Director of Governance and Risk until her retirement in July 2025.
She now volunteers with Citizens Advice Winchester District and Unit 12 and is a primary school governor in Eastleigh. Outside of work, Jane enjoys theatre, tap dancing, Zumba, and knitting.
Support Team
Our support team includes our Manager, who oversees daily operations; our Gardener, who tends to our shared green spaces; and our Community Food Pantry Shift Leaders, who coordinates vital food support efforts. As we grow, this section will expand to highlight more of the people who make our work possible.
Community and Building Manager
Lara has been at Unit12 since 2021 in various roles and initially started as a volunteer pantry driver in Covid to keep her busy. She can be found around the building during weekdays. She’s lived in Winchester her whole life so knows the area well and the community within it. Spare time is all about holidays and visiting new places.
Community Gardener
Roxy joined Unit12 as the community gardener at the start of 2026. She has her own landscape gardening business in Winchester, but gives up time each week to work on Unit12s community space.She can often be found in the garden on Tuesdays and Fridays with volunteers helping her.
Community Food Pantry Shift Leader
Kelly is the Unit 12 Community Pantry Saturday shift leader. Kelly is lively and welcoming to both volunteers and members who use the pantry. Kelly is mum to 4 children and many fur babies also. She has been know to be at work in her PJ’s.
Cafe Supervisor and Pantry Shift Leader
Sarah started with Unit 12 as a pantry volunteer in Jan 2024, she loved the Thursday sessions and was quickly promoted to shift leader, working the occasional Saturdays and Thursdays. She can be found in the Cafe on Mondays, making cakes.
She is a mum to 3 boys in 3 different schools so her life is pretty hectic!
She loves going to the beach and walking her dog Molly in any spare time she have. She also enjoys swimming and the theatre.
Caretaker
Matt joined Unit12 in June 2026 as onsite caretaker and handyman. He’s lived in Winchester his whole life and his son can often be found volunteering in the pantry in school holidays. You’ll see Matt around the building doing odd jobs and keeping everything up together.
Cafe Manager
Sophie started at Unit12 in May 2025 as a volunteer within the cafe, but we soon realised how good she was with the customers and she was promoted to cafe supervisor in July. She took on the role of cafe manager at the start of 2026. Sophie always has a smile for every customer and can remember exactly what the regulars order.
Outside Unit12 Sophie is a busy mum to 2 girls who keep her on her toes.
