Incredible though it may seem, SBT has been running for 15 years now. Yes, on 6 May 2010, Sarah registered Sarah Buckley Therapies as a company – appropriately enough, in her own birthplace of Cardiff.
It’s been an incredible journey
SBT initially operated out Sarah’s own flat:
But within a year, SBT had taken on four new therapists, so we moved into Northumberland House on Bromley High Street.
(Left-right): Hannah Southon (now Sullivan), Danielle Bahgat, Sarah Buckley, Shelley Parkin and Laura Gardner in SBT’s first office in Northumberland House 
SBT’s first office at Northumberland House 
It even had a fireplace (not working) 
At first, we had Room 5. But soon, we had to expand and took in other offices, including Room 6 
Room 1 – the largest of SBT’s offices 
Room 6 – with Shelley at her desk
We soon needed someone to keep us organised. Thankfully, Rebecca Kemsley joined us in 2013. She started as an admin assistant but is now our Office Manager, looking after everything from HR to health and safety:
SBT’s Office Manager Rebecca Kemsley joined us in 2013
By 2015, we’d taken over four more offices at Northumberland House, and needed more room still, – so we moved to a single, much larger office just a few hundred metres away at 29 London Road, where we are now.
The last team at the old offices (left-right): Rachel Baker-Taylor, Danielle, Emma, Caitlyn Chandler, Sarah, Hannah, Leah Jones, Shelley, Rebecca, Kate Saunders and Becky 
Luke Kemsley, Rob Buckley and Rebecca all helped with the move to the new office – complete with our then-compulsory resource trolleys! 
After all the work was done 
We only needed 4 filing cabinets then
In 2017, we awarded our first ever Student Grant and we’re still awarding our Sarah Buckley Student Grants eight years later.
Sara Bunker receiving the first ever SBT Student Grant from Sarah Buckley in 2017 
The winner of the 2018 SBT Major Grant Megan Pickering (left) with Sarah Buckley 
Lucy May (left) receiving her grant certificate from Sarah Buckley. Lucy went on to join SBT not long afterwards! 
Rebecca Arnold with her student grant certificate in 2023
SBT was named one of the Federation of Small Business’s employers of the year in 2018
Then in 2022, we celebrated as Sarah was elected Chair of the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice.
SBT celebrates Sarah’s election win in March 2023. (left-right) Rebecca, Jasmine Liew, Federica Ferri, Dulcie Few, Angela Shaftoe, Lucy May, Tara Hilson, Sally Taylor and Natasha Nemberi 
Sarah at an ASLTIP board meeting in 2023 
Sarah delivering her Chair’s Report at Therapy Talks im March 2024 
Sarah with the ASLTIP board at Therapy Talks 2024 
ASLTIP remembers Sarah at its first meeting following her passing in September 2024
Over the years, we’ve had many socials, from afternoon tea, to pottery painting, to Shuffleboard!
Devastatingly, on Tuesday 17 September 2024, Sarah passed away following a short illness. Sarah has left an incredible legacy, and was an amazing role model to us all at SBT. We continue to channel Sarah in everything we do.
In March 2025, ASLTIP awarded the first Sarah Buckley Award for Innovation, and named Sarah as the award’s first recipient. Sarah’s husband and SBT director Rob and Sarah’s mother, Diane, accepted the award on her behalf.
Our birthday is today but the celebrations will continue throughout the year.
We look forward to continuing to provide the best speech and language therapy possible for the most children possible — and to supporting more people on their journey to becoming Speech and Language Therapists.
