View from the Chair

September 2010

Hello and welcome to my latest blog.

Earlier today I sent a message of thanks to the whole team at WDP after a very successful and memorable 2010 Positive Action Awards which we held at the Stobart Stadium in Widnes. I signed off my message with the words; From Dave Thompson Chairman of the most inspirational charity in the world.

One might say that this is a very bold statement, one that's hard to live up to, but I'd challenge anyone to show me another group of people who give so much of their own time voluntarily to help others, and who make such a positive difference to the lives of so many people, not just in and around Warrington, but regionally in the North West, as well as inspiring others across the UK and internationally. Well, I'll wait to hear from you. Last night's event was electric; the energy could be felt by everyone in the room. The awards, now in its 7th year provide disabled people the opportunity to nominate employers, service providers and individuals who are making a real difference to the lives of disabled people within the North West. The atmosphere was intensified due to the announcement that the funding cuts faced by our principal sponsors the North West Regional Development Agency could mean it was the last.

Our guest speaker Vidar Jhardeng Head of Equality and Diversity at ITV provided a key note speech to match any I've heard anywhere. His soft smooth voice captivated the audience as he shared his life experiences as a journalist working for a national organisation and life as blind man. Vidar's quite unassuming approach was matched by the vitality and sheer energy of the members of the Ella Performing Arts Group who provided the entertainment for the evening. The group is made up of people who have learning disabilities and live in Halton. They had everyone clapping, singing and at times in tears. Their enthusiasm lit up the room. Oh, and we had 15 winners representing the whole of the North West, including the Isle of Man. Click here for a list of the winners.

At the end of the evening I acknowledged our great team at WDP, singling out our growing bunch of young people, including Rachel Johnson our Young Ambassador who only earlier this week appeared on ITV's This Morning show where she spoke openly about her personal fight against anorexia. I know that everyone at WDP and at work in 5 Boroughs was rooting for her, but she didn't need it, she was an absolute star.

As if the team didn't have enough to do with organising the awards we had barely taken a breath after delivering yet another stunning event last weekend. The Warrington Town Centre Mobility Show was an off shoot to Disability Awareness Day and was a first, but I can promise it won't be the last. With the focus on mobility, we handpicked local Motability dealerships, accessible transport including busses, taxies, Dial a Ride, British Association of Disabled Bikers and the cycling project. Other specialist companies displayed vehicle adaptations, wheelchairs, scooters, seating, accessible holidays and a driving school that specialises in vehicles with an assortment of hand controls. Mayor of Warrington Councillor John Joyce spent over 2 hours visiting every exhibitor and he impressed everyone with his skills as he negotiated a scooter around the WDP Mobility Test Track. It was a great day, attracting hundreds of visitors. Interestingly the current town centre manager is Nick White, the same guy who worked closely with us to develop DAD 19 years ago when he was the manager at Walton Hall, I wonder if history can repeat itself.

Whilst on the subject of DAD, last week I visited the team at HMS Obdurate Warrington Sea Cadets to present over thirty of their team with certificates and to hand over a small donation in recognition for their support at this year's event. Barry from WDP got a nice shot of the team and you can see it on this page.

Although their role at DAD is to coordinate the car parks, this year they will be remember for the skills of one cadet who provided first aid support to a gentleman who fell out of his wheelchair and was potentially seriously injured. Her skills were recognised by her captain Tina Stanier who nominated her as best cadet of the event, others who also acknowledged her assistance included senior members of St John Ambulance, the paramedics and our stewards. As we were preparing to leave I was asked by Liz Stephens Unit Chairman if I would accept the position as Unit President. An honour I have humbly accepted.

Staying on the theme of water, if you have been following my blogs you should know about my passion for scuba diving. A couple of weeks back I got to dive at Capernwray, an inland diving centre just outside Lancaster. Where I was joined by my diving buddy and brother in law Graham and Ron, the guy I met on holiday last September and you may remember he travelled from Kent with Shaun and the gang from Scubability for this year's DAD.

Capernwray is set in an old disused quarry and has a depth of around 18 metres of extremely clear water. To add some additional interest to the shoals of fish and the most human friendly rainbow trout that simply swim towards you as you enter the water, the owners have added a couple of helicopters, a few boats including an old minesweeper, a diving bell, a cannon and a 120 seater passenger plan, plus two huge plastic horses named Shergar and Lord Lucan that were originally part of the Blackpool illuminations.

We spent most of our first dive in and around the plane. As we got down to around 15 metres we approached it from the front and it was kind of eerie, first you see a large shadow, then the nosecone and then the cockpit and wings; it was awesome. The doors and seating have been removed and the tail section is separated from the main fuselage which makes it easy to access and swim around; in fact as a disabled person I have to say that it was the easiest access I have had onto a plane for the past 21 years.

As we prepared for our second dive of the afternoon we noticed a large number of people arriving and marquees being erected close to the water's edge. They were preparing for the Great Northern Swim, a sponsored event that had been transferred from Lake Windermere due problems with toxic algae. Our second dive went really well, we looked around the minesweeper, next onto an old cruise boat and then one of the helicopters. Before we knew it we were getting low on air and it was time to call it a day. But as we surfaced none of us could believe our eyes, we have an audience of over 500 people eagerly waiting for us to get out of the water so they could start their swim. During this winter the owners of Capernwray are planning to add a Blackpool tram, I can't wait until next summer when I can actually sit on the top deck of a tram for the first time in 22 years.

The past 6 weeks have been a roller coaster ride for us Warrington Wolves fans. As I mentioned in my last blog the Wolves defeated Leeds Rhinos in the 2010 Challenge Cup final at Wembley. With the 3rd place finish in Super League the Wolves were in great spirits for the playoffs that was until we encountered our old nemesis St Helens! Although we suffered another crushing defeat our position in the league entitled us to play a crucial knockout against Huddersfield, the team we beat in last year's Challenge Cup final and whom we have beaten twice this season. But by half time we were down by 22 points and the long season took its toll on the lads and by the end of the 80 minutes, so too was our season. Hey, we did manage back to back Challenge Cup victories, so it wasn't too bad.

I'd like to mention another success story, one that is still developing, as well as securing a Positive Action Award at last night's event, my colleague Emma Parkes Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications at 5 Boroughs should be feeling very proud to announce that over 48,000 people have now signed up to the Stamp Out Stigma campaign since April. That's on top of the million people who have read positive news items on mental health and learning disability that is another strand of the campaign.

Finally: The 1st October marks one of the largest changes in equality legislation with the introduction of the Equality Act 2010.Whilst this is a consolidating piece of legislation which integrates over 30 years of equality and anti discrimination law, it also extends into new areas. In relation to disability the changes introduce a revised and simplified definition of disability, as well as introducing a new form of "direct discrimination", a new easier to understand form of disability discrimination and a range of changes to employment law including making it unlawful to ask about the health of an application before offering to short list or offer employment, which should help disabled person who have hidden disabilities. A new section around "discrimination by association" will extend protection to carers of disabled people. The public sector duty will be introduced in April next year.

Until next time, thank you for your interest.