Over the past year, Homeless Oxfordshire has been fortunate to build a fantastic partnership with Dorchester Living, a local award-winning housing developer that has gone above and beyond to support our work.
The relationship began in October last year, when Dorchester Living reached out to find out more about Homeless Oxfordshire and how they could get involved. Our Partnerships Fundraising Manager, Tim Wraith, met with Hollie Wilson from the Sales and Marketing team and Paul Silver from the Silver family, who own Dorchester Living, to talk about how we could work together.
As a business that builds homes, there is a natural connection between Dorchester Living and our work supporting people experiencing homelessness. What makes the partnership particularly special is the genuine commitment they have shown to making a difference.
Since the relationship began, Dorchester Living has donated £8,000, organised a fantastic gala dinner which raised £28,000, and donated white goods and other items for our Women’s House and another property worth around £7,000.
Their generous donations have helped us invest in projects such as our Women’s House, a safe and secure female-only space run by Carli Flory, our Women’s Services Team Leader. Creating a homely and welcoming environment helps foster a sense of self-respect and belonging, giving residents a comfortable space to take their next steps. Dorchester Living’s donation of white goods has further improved the house, helping make it a welcoming place for women to feel at home. 
Their team have also embraced our fundraising events, with two teams taking part in Race Across Oxfordshire, two teams joining our Golf Day and another team preparing to take on the Oxford Half Marathon.
Their support has gone beyond fundraising too. They generously provided the use of a conference room at The Heyford Hotel for our Senior Leadership Team and Trustees’ away day, and we will be holding our next Business Breakfast there in October.
Tim Wraith said: “It means a huge amount to Homeless Oxfordshire. Because we are a small fundraising team, we are so grateful when businesses such as Dorchester Living find proactive ways to support us and develop the relationship, like creating brilliant events to raise large sums of money. Dorchester Living are a well-known local business, and their support has increased our visibility to new audiences. They have also reached out to their own business contacts asking them to support us. I would welcome other local businesses who may be considering supporting us to contact me for a chat. I would love to show how their support can help to change the lives of our residents.”
We are delighted that the partnership is continuing, with Dorchester Living planning another gala event in 2027 and looking forward to getting involved in more of our events.
A huge thank you to everyone at Dorchester Living for their generosity, enthusiasm and continued support. We are so pleased to be working together to help change lives across Oxfordshire.
