Sober Bootcamp UK CIC is committed to responsible governance, safeguarding, accountability, and continuous improvement in all our recovery and wellness services.
Mason Ross — Founder & Director
Mason founded Sober Bootcamp UK CIC with a clear purpose: to help people rebuild their lives through recovery, connection and meaningful opportunity.
His vision is shaped by personal experience of addiction, trauma, loss and recovery. This gives him an understanding of the challenges people can face, both in becoming sober and in rebuilding confidence, relationships, routine and a sense of purpose.
Mason combines that perspective with a background in care, community fundraising and homeless outreach. His qualifications in gym instruction and counselling skills support his interest in the relationship between physical wellbeing, listening and positive change. He has also completed Safeguarding Adults Level 2 training and places dignity and safeguarding at the centre of the organisation’s development.
As Founder and Director, Mason leads Sober Bootcamp’s vision, service development, team building and partnership conversations. He brings determination, empathy and the ability to turn personal insight into practical ideas, including structured fitness and nutrition support, the Recovery Passport, and pathways towards education and employment.
Mason’s strength is his ability to see people beyond their circumstances and recognise their potential. He is building Sober Bootcamp around the belief that recovery should help people create a life with belonging, independence and something to look forward to.
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Emma — Non-Executive Director - Recovery, Community, Finance & Partnerships
Emma brings experience in workplace wellbeing, a background in martial arts and a strong commitment to helping people rebuild their lives to her role as Non-Executive Director at Sober Bootcamp UK CIC.
Through her work and community connections, Emma understands the importance of bringing people and services together. Her links with police, probation, Turning Point and other support networks bring valuable insight into how Sober Bootcamp can complement existing provision and develop meaningful referral relationships.
Her background in martial arts also reflects the importance of discipline, confidence and resilience—qualities that sit at the heart of our approach to recovery. She recognises the value of combining physical activity with encouragement, structure and a sense of belonging.
As part of the board, Emma contributes independent perspective, constructive challenge and support for the organisation’s strategic direction. She helps strengthen partnerships and keeps the needs of the people we aim to support central to our development.
Emma shares our belief that recovery should create opportunities for a fuller life, with positive relationships, purpose and hope for the future.
Bal — Non-Executive Director - Safeguarding, Quality & Safety
Bal brings an NHS background, a commitment to community wellbeing and a people-centred perspective to her role as Non-Executive Director at Sober Bootcamp UK CIC.
Her healthcare experience provides valuable insight as we develop a service that brings together fitness, nutrition, therapeutic support and community connection. She recognises the importance of treating people with dignity and developing support around their individual needs.
As part of the board, Bal contributes to the organisation’s strategic direction, offering independent oversight, constructive challenge and guidance. Her perspective helps us consider how our planned programme can complement existing services and build the confidence of members, families and referral partners.
Bal is passionate about people, communities and creating opportunities for positive change. She shares Sober Bootcamp’s ambition to help people build confidence, regain independence and feel part of a supportive community.
Through her contribution to the board, Bal helps keep compassion, accountability and the interests of the people we aim to support central to our growth.
Natalie Lambert - Lead Therapist
Natalie Lambert is Lead Therapist at Sober Bootcamp UK CIC, bringing around 30 years of frontline experience supporting children, young people, adults and families across health, local authority, education, voluntary and community services.
Natalie has extensive experience in trauma-informed and person-centred support, working with people affected by trauma, sexual violence, addiction, anxiety, depression, self-harm, neurodiversity, exploitation and social exclusion.
Her career has included work with Rape Crisis (Jasmine House), where she managed complex and high-risk caseloads and delivered individual trauma-informed therapeutic interventions, as well as previous experience as a Drug & Alcohol Worker, delivering structured substance misuse and harm-reduction interventions.
Natalie is also a qualified Life Coach and Holistic Therapist and holds a Bachelor's degree in Youth and Community Development from De Montfort University. Her wider experience includes safeguarding, risk management, multi-agency working, programme development, residential care leadership, violence prevention and supporting people who may traditionally struggle to engage with services.
At Sober Bootcamp, Natalie will help lead the development and delivery of our therapeutic and wellbeing provision, ensuring that recovery support remains safe, compassionate, structured and centred around the individual.
She will work closely with our recovery workers, coaches, leadership team and external professionals to ensure physical recovery, emotional wellbeing and wider social needs are considered together rather than in isolation.
Natalie brings a warm, empathetic and non-judgemental approach, alongside strong professional boundaries and significant experience supporting people through complex circumstances.
Her experience strengthens our ambition to create a genuinely integrated recovery service — bringing together fitness, therapeutic support, wellbeing, community and opportunity to help people achieve sustainable, long-term change.
Anabel Sharma - Non-Executive Director – NHS Commissioning, Governance & Strategic Growth
Anabel is an experienced healthcare executive and business consultant with nearly 30 years of experience across the NHS and private healthcare sectors. She has worked at senior and board level, with particular expertise in governance, commissioning, CQC compliance, service transformation, strategic growth and operational performance.
A former Chief Operating Officer, Anabel has helped healthcare organisations strengthen governance, improve performance and scale sustainably. Her experience includes overseeing multi-million-pound budgets, supporting successful NHS tenders, guiding start-ups through growth and acquisition, and developing services capable of meeting demanding regulatory and quality standards.
At Sober Bootcamp UK, Anabel brings independent Board-level challenge, healthcare-sector insight and a strong understanding of how services need to be structured, evidenced and governed to work effectively with commissioners and public-sector partners.
Her role will help strengthen our governance, quality assurance, commissioning strategy and long-term growth plans as we build the Leicester model and develop a strong foundation for future expansion.
Karen Demerist - Non-Executive Director – Strategy, Operations & Growth
Karen brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experience across board-level roles, organisational transformation, operations, people strategy and business growth. Throughout her career, she has worked with founders and leadership teams to help organisations move from ambitious ideas into structured, sustainable and scalable operations.
Her experience spans board governance, operational change, organisational growth, workforce strategy and the development of effective operating models. Karen has led complex, multi-country programmes, managed significant commercial operations including a £20m P&L, and held responsibility for workforces of more than 350 people.
At Sober Bootcamp UK CIC, Karen provides constructive challenge alongside practical strategic support, helping the organisation strengthen its foundations as it prepares for launch and future growth. Her focus includes clarifying strategy, establishing effective governance and accountability, developing a deliverable operating model, strengthening organisational structure and ensuring that funding and growth ambitions remain grounded in what the organisation can realistically resource and deliver.
Karen’s experience will also support Sober Bootcamp in developing clear performance measures, managing organisational risk and building the systems and infrastructure required to grow responsibly without losing sight of the people and communities the organisation exists to serve.
Her involvement strengthens Sober Bootcamp’s commitment to building an organisation that is ambitious in its vision, disciplined in its delivery and sustainable for the long term.
Oliver Saint - Non-Executive Director – Operations & Risk
Oliver brings strong experience in building operational structures from the ground up and helping organisations turn ambitious plans into safe, practical and resilient ways of working.
As Sober Bootcamp’s Non-Executive Director for Operations & Risk, Oliver provides independent Board-level scrutiny across operational readiness, health and safety, premises, business continuity and organisational risk. He reviews the arrangements put in place by the executive team, challenges areas that require strengthening and helps ensure key risks are clearly identified, owned and acted upon.
Oliver also supports the Board through regular oversight of Sober Bootcamp’s risk register, helping ensure that growth is supported by robust systems, clear accountability and appropriate contingency planning.
His role is deliberately focused on independent challenge and assurance rather than day-to-day delivery, giving Sober Bootcamp an experienced external perspective as the organisation prepares to launch its Recovery & Wellness Centre and grow beyond Leicester.
Oliver’s practical approach and operational experience will help ensure Sober Bootcamp builds on strong, safe and sustainable foundations from the outset.
Safeguarding: Sober Bootcamp UK CIC is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all members. We maintain robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring a secure environment for recovery and personal growth.
Accountability & Transparency: As a Community Interest Company, we operate with full accountability to our stakeholders. We are dedicated to responsible governance, clear communication, and financial transparency in all our operations.
Continuous Improvement: We are committed to the ongoing development of our services. Through regular reviews and member feedback, we continually refine our programmes to provide the most effective support for the Leicester recovery community.