Draft:Sunita Poddar

• Comment: There is far too much unreferenced information here. And half the alleged sources aren't actually sources, they're just placeholders. DoubleGrazing (talk) 15:18, 24 July 2025 (UTC)

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Sunita Poddar
Born	India
Nationality	British
Occupation(s)	Healthcare entrepreneur, Yoga advocate, Political advisor
Known for	Founder of Oakminster Healthcare President of Yogasana UK Trustee of Patanjali Yog Peeth (UK) Trust Owner of Little Cumbrae island Former Honorary Consul General of Nepal in Scotland

Sunita Poddar

Sunita Poddar is a British healthcare entrepreneur and yoga advocate, best known as the founder of Oakminster Healthcare, President of Yogasana UK, and an advisor to the Scottish Labour Party on Health and Social Care. Her work spans health service provision, holistic wellness, and policy development, with a focus on integrating traditional and modern care practices.

Early Life and Education

Poddar was born in Nepal and later moved to the United Kingdom. She pursued business and healthcare-related qualifications in the UK, leading to a career at the intersection of entrepreneurship, care services, and wellness.

Career

Oakminster Healthcare

Poddar founded Oakminster Healthcare in 1995, which has grown into a group of care homes based in Glasgow and surrounding areas. The company provides residential, nursing, and specialist dementia care, and is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026. The group operates several homes including Florence House, Oakview Manor, Oakbridge, Chester Park, and Cumbrae House.

Yogasana UK and Yoga Advocacy

In 2021, Poddar became the founding President of Yogasana UK, an organisation working to promote competitive yoga and lobby for its inclusion as an Olympic sport. She has played a leading role in organising national and international yoga competitions, workshops, and campaigns to engage young people in yoga as a discipline of physical and mental wellbeing.

She is also an active member of the Patanjali Yog Peeth UK Trust (PYP UK Trust), a registered charity that promotes yoga and Ayurveda in the UK. Under her leadership, the Trust has expanded its outreach efforts to include younger and more diverse audiences through free or low-cost community yoga classes and instructor training programmes.

Political Advisory Role

Since 2024, Poddar has served as a Health and Social Care Advisor to the Scottish Labour Party. She has contributed to policy development for the party’s 2026 election manifesto, focusing on the integration of health and social care services in Scotland. Her proposed “Integrated Health and Social Care System” aims to streamline coordination between NHS Scotland and local authority care providers to reduce hospital pressure, bed-blocking, and waiting times.

Community Engagement

Poddar is known for organising events that promote wellness and inclusion, such as Glasgow’s annual International Day of Yoga celebrations, attended by local councillors, MPs, and community leaders. Her initiatives bridge cultural, generational, and socioeconomic divides through accessible wellness programming.

Recognition and Impact

Poddar’s work has been recognised within the care sector and broader community. She has been a speaker at industry conferences and community forums on topics ranging from elderly care innovation to holistic health integration.

Her leadership at Oakminster Healthcare has contributed to strong performance and positive Care Inspectorate reports across several homes. Florence House Care Home, part of the Oakminster group, has been nominated for multiple care sector awards in 2025, including “Specialist Care Provider of the Year” and “Care Home Service of the Year.”

Business and Philanthropy

Together with her husband Sarwan Poddar, she co‑purchased the uninhabited Scottish island Little Cumbrae in 2009 for approximately £2 million, and subsequently donated it to Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s trust for the creation of a yoga and meditation centre as a charitable retreat and pilgrimage destination :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}. The Poddars were widely covered in publications including *The Guardian* and *The Times* for this initiative :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}.

Honorary Consul of Nepal, Glasgow

Poddar served as the Honorary Consul (sometimes styled Honorary Consul General) for the Consulate of Nepal in Glasgow, representing Nepal's interests and providing consular assistance to Nepali nationals in West Scotland :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}. In May 2017, she formally handed over £45,000 raised for Nepal earthquake relief to Nepal’s Foreign Minister in New Delhi, demonstrating active engagement in humanitarian diplomacy :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.

Ownership of Little Cumbrae

In July 2009, Sunita and Sarwan Poddar purchased Little Cumbrae — a 313‑hectare uninhabited island off the coast of North Ayrshire — for development as a nature reserve and corporate retreat. The couple donated the island to the Ramdev trust, facilitating plans for a yoga and meditation centre, with associated media attention and community engagement :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}.

Personal Life

Poddar lives in Glasgow, Scotland. She is committed to philanthropy through the Patanjali Yog Peeth UK Trust and supports several community wellbeing initiatives. She is also a champion of intergenerational collaboration and believes in integrating Eastern and Western approaches to care and health.

See Also

• Health and social care in the United Kingdom
• Yogasana
• Aged care in the United Kingdom
• Ayurveda in the West

References

• https://$3

External links

• Oakminster Healthcare
• Yogasana UK
• Patanjali Yog Peeth UK Trust