“It’s gone so quickly!”

This year, Cheryl marks an incredible 20 years at Roundabout, a journey that began at the charity’s original home at St Matthew’s Place, just around the corner from its current base on Rockingham Lane. Back then, Roundabout was a much smaller organisation, with just the hostel, the Supporting Tenants (formerly known as Stencil, where Cheryl worked), and a resettlement service.

“Our role originally was crisis prevention,” Cheryl reflects, “but it’s grown into so much more than that.”

Over the years, Cheryl has been at the heart of that growth. A decade ago, she trained in mediation at the same time Roundabout’s innovative Prevention Service was being launched. It was a forward-thinking initiative that she helped shape from the very beginning. Cheryl played a key role in laying the foundations for what would become our pioneering Talk It Out service developing how these interventions could support young people and their families. Cheryl recalls visiting similar projects in Leicester and Birmingham, but felt that Roundabout’s approach stood out as truly innovative.

“Roundabout is really good at giving young people a chance,” she says. “Roundabout offers full-on support, and young people always know they’re welcome back. Thanks to the Prevention Service, based right in the heart of Sheffield city centre, they know where to find us.”

Cheryl believes that what sets Roundabout apart is its commitment to living by its values and always striving to do the best for the young people it supports. She highlights how staff are encouraged to take creative approaches in their roles, particularly in our Talk It Out service.

“At Roundabout, it really feels like we live to our values,” she says. “We take care and strive to do the best we can for the young people we work with, taking creative approaches to our roles. We love our job!”

Cheryl’s passion, commitment, and leadership over two decades have made her an integral part of Roundabout’s story and an invaluable support for countless young people across Sheffield.