View from the Chair

The past 18 months seem to have flown by, I remember the moment last July, it was during DAD Week and I was about to leave home for Walton Gardens and the postman handed me a bundle of letters. I opened one postmarked 'Chester University' and was taken aback when I realised that I had been invited to accept an honoree Degree 'Masters in Business Administration'. I raced to the park to share the news with the team.

Well todays the day, the presentation ceremony was being held at Chester Cathedral and I was joined by my wife Pam, son Gavin, daughter Emma, mum Mavis, dad Neville and sister Jayne. As we arrived one could immediately feel the excitement as hundreds of graduates and members of their families filed into the cathedral. From the moment we arrived at the car park we were treated with such attention that we all felt like royalty. As my family was shown to their seats alongside the stage, I was taken to the rear hall where I was assisted with my cap and gown, and as that was happening another person talked through the order of the ceremony whilst another person fitted a clip-on radio microphone. She also gave me instructions about how to turn it on and off, if only I had listened, you'll understand why later.

Soon it was time to join the procession of academic leaders and leading community guests, and we made our way through the seating area to take up our positions on the stage. The procession included the Vice Chancellor Tim Wheeler, who is also a fellow Deputy Lieutenant, Professor Peter Harrop and other faculty leads, John Lea High Sheriff of Cheshire and Councillor Steve Wright Deputy Mayor of Warrington, every one of them wore their full academic robes and regal gowns and chains. Being involved in just this part was a very humbling and memorable experience. The whole event was planned to perfection. As we took up our positions on the stage and the scene was set with the placing of the ceremonial mace which is incredibly impressive. I was later informed that it is four foot long with glistening silver-gilt and enamel and weighs five and a half kilos. It was made by royal jewellers Mappin & Webb. Trumpeters sounded a magnificent fanfare that opened the ceremony, and the Vice Chancellor provided the welcoming speech which was followed by the individual acknowledgement of the academic achievements for each of the 200 plus students. A quick glance of the programme and the realisation that my award was next made my mouth go dry. Professor Harrop walked forward to address the audience with a speech that virtually covered my entire life including my parents, school, sport, career, where I met Pam, our family, the accident, cancer and a detailed review of achievements from the past 20 years. The citation concluded with the words 'Vice Chancellor, for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of disability awareness, I give you Mr David Thompson MBE DL'. I wheeled forward, an assistant helped place my cap into place, and I shook hands with the Vice Chancellor as he read out the necessary words confirming the award, mostly in Latin, and he then invited me to give my acceptance speech. As instructed I flicked the switch on my radio microphone and looked around the packed cathedral, taking in a large gulp of air, swallowing hard, trying hard to keep a hold on my emotions, whilst also trying to take in the moment. It was incredible, a very proud moment, one I will never forget, and made all the better, as I was able to share the occasion with my family.

I started by thanking Pam, and all of my family for their help and support both physically and emotionally, Paying tribute to the hundreds of people who I have had the pleasure of working with during the journey so far, including Annette Clemo, a WDP colleague and friend, who sadly died a couple of years ago. I spoke about the very dark days we experienced along the way, and the fact that whilst people saw me as a motivator, the truth was, it took all my mental strength to find a reason to get out of bed and go to the day centre. I shared the fact that our achievements were only made possible through using tried and tested business models during the development of WDP, which at times had caused controversy with my fellow trustees and colleagues. I finished by accepting the award on behalf of all disabled people who have every dreamt of a better life for themselves, their families or other disabled people. I wheeled back to my position, making way for the trumpeters to sound the closing fanfare which sealed a very special occasion. This was followed by the throbbing, booming cords of the cathedral organ sounding out 'God Save the Queen'. At the end of the first verse it felt quite surreal, and I thought I could hear myself singing, as I turned and saw a loudspeaker positioned behind me, I realised I had left my radio microphone switch on, which resulted in my 'out of tune' singing being broadcast live across the cathedral. After I switched off the microphone I sat back giggling inside, with a Cheshire cat grin.

Joining the procession to leave the stage, we filled past the graduates and their guests, and as I looked up, I spotted Lionel, a colleague from the NHS who was there supporting his son, who had received a degree. Together with members of my family we were ushered to a reception room for the official photographs, and a well-earned cup of tea. After an hour or so thanked everyone and made our way back to the car park. On the way my dad stopped me, gave me a huge hug and said that he was very proud of me. This show of emotion and hearing those words meant more to me than the MBA, MBE or any other award that I have been fortunate to have been given. He is what I call a real man's man; he doesn't show his emotions that easily. So for him to have said it, suggests that he too had been touched by the occasion, he even paid for lunch in a nearby cafe. That evening Pam, Jayne and I were joined by my brother in law Graham at Warrington Collegiate Higher Education Awards presentation event, only this time, we were guests. It was good the see Professor Harrop and the Deputy Mayor, we shook hands like old friends…. My experience from earlier that day provided me with a little insight into how proud all of the students must have felt.

Beacons, Bonfire and Street-party Celebrations

Earlier this month I joined my friend and fellow Deputy Lieutenant John Gartside in a meeting with the representatives from the Council and local Parish Councils at a promotional event aimed at sharing activities to mark 60 years of The Queen's reign. The Diamond Jubilee celebrations will centre on an extended weekend of the 2, 3, 4 and 5 June next year. It's amazing to think that the Queen came to the throne on 6 February 1952 and her coronation took place on 2 June 1953. She celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years) in 1977 and her Golden Jubilee (50 years) in 2002, she is only second British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee since Queen Victoria in 1897. I hope that WDP will be able to organise an event at the Centre, watch this space.

Direct Action or Celebrating Efforts

A panel resembling the X Factor judges met at our house earlier this month, not to review singers or wan-a-be bands, more importantly we were selecting the winners for our 17th annual Appreciation of Efforts Awards. Another WDP initiative and one of the UK's longest running disability award schemes. Interestingly back in 1995 when we first suggested the awards we were facing a split within the management team at Warrington Disability Information Services, WDP's predecessor organisation. Half of the team voted to join in the direct action protests used to highlight disability discrimination which included disabled people chaining themselves to none accessible busses, pouring red paint on the steps of none accessible public buildings and laying siege to town centre buildings. Fortunately sensibility prevailed and the team agreed to try an alternative approach which saw us launch the Appreciation of Efforts Awards. They were aimed at recognising and rewarding 'good practice' in terms of accessible services and latterly they were extended to include individual effort. The first recipients included Warrington Collegiate Institute, Warrington Borough Council and Warrington Community Health Care NHS Trust. Each organisation worked closely with us on a programme of work that included improvements to car parking, signage, access, reception areas, toilets, furnishing and internal access. The awards were well received by local people and organisations, and year on year they continue to attract large numbers of nominations. The winners are then presented at WDP's annual meeting in December.

Stress Free

Earlier in the month I joined other senior managers from 5 Boroughs at a master class aimed at reviewing health, wellbeing and links with personal performance. During the event we lined up for the fitting of a heart monitor that we would wear for three days, during which time it would monitor our stress levels, recovery and sleep patterns. During the three days we were asked to complete a very detailed diary which listed everything we did in 15 minute slots. The analysis reviewed the results from the monitors set against our diaries. I must admit that psychologically one was very aware that you were wearing the monitor, for me, this acted as a prompt to stay cool. Some who knew me might say that I should wear a monitor more often! The feedback I received was very reassuring; it confirmed that I do get a decent night's sleep which includes an excellent level of recovery of energy. Most interesting the analysis highlighted occasions where I wasn't aware of the high stress, this has made me develop a strategy to manage my emotions more closely. I can certainly think of a few people who should go through this experience, but it would need to include a detailed 360degree feedback from the people they work with about how their stress impacts on others around them.

Remembrance Service

Two weeks ago Pam and I were honoured to join our friends from Birchwood Lions as we celebrated this year's Remembrance Day at the Birchwood Shopping Mall. We joined dozens of local dignitaries, plus members of various statutory services and over a hundred local residents. I was invited to lay a wreath on behalf of WDP. The event is a tribute to the great work that Birchwood Lions do in the local community, long may it continue.

London Calling

Last week I joined Pam, Jayne and Graham as we headed off to the House of Commons in London to support Tony and Angie Russell for a reception and official launch of their charity 'Reflections Art in Mental Health'. The event was also attended by nearly 100 guests including Simon Barber, Chief Executive at 5 Boroughs, together with his partner, and other colleagues including Sandeep, Duncan and four of our service user artists, Dave, Mark, Gordon, Mathew and his wife. The venue was the conservatory marquee which overlooks the River Thames and offers magnificent views from the outside gallery including Big Ben, the London Eye and the House of Commons building, made all the better by the back lighting, which of course improved the view as it grew gradually darker. After the presentations we headed off to our hotel to get ready for a very busy evening which saw Pam, Jayne and Graham travelling to the West End to the Shaftsbury Theatre to see Rock of Ages, a tribute to rock music. I was off to the National Health Service Journal Awards which were being held in our hotels main function room. I joined Simon and other members of staff, plus several service users and carers from 5 Boroughs. The black tie event attracted over 1,350 people, which is the largest audience I have ever seen gathered for an award ceremony. I was blown away by the sheer size, and even though we didn't win the award category, the fact we had been shortlisted out of thousands of entries was an achievement befitting the occasion. The host for the evening was ex-senior politician Michael Portilo, he is so charismatic, and a very witty man.

Four Nations Rugby League Final

After watching a roller coaster ride of wins and losses England eventually earned the right to play Australia in the final which was held at Leeds United's Eland Road Stadium. I joined Graham, my grandson Jamie, his dad Tommy and our good friend Dave Williams. The trip over to Yorkshire wasn't too bad, but travelling from the motorway to the ground took ages, and we finally took our seats 2 minutes into the game. The atmosphere was electrifying, made more intense due to the huge loudspeaker that was located at ground level between us and the players on the pitch and the contingent of Australian supporters located just behind our seats. England held on by their fingertips in the first half, going in at halftime with only one try between the teams. Halfway through the second half the Australians switched gear and ran out a huge lead that they rightly deserved. On the way home we discussed how lucky Jamie was, as a ten year old he has already been to Wembley Stadium twice witnessing back to back Warrington Wolves challenge cup wins, he has also been to Old Trafford twice and now he's been to a Four Nations Final, on top of going to most of Warrington's home games during the past 5 years. Lucky lad.

Applause Please

The day after we topped off a great weekend when Pam and I, joined Jayne and Graham, and our friends Derek and Doreen Crossley for a real treat when joined around one hundred and fifty other people in the audience for the filming of Nick Knowles Who Dares Wins, at Granada TV's Manchester studios. I must admit that the atmosphere was really exciting as the contestants played for thousands of pounds. During their time on stage one got an insight into their lives and how important the money was to them, most of which is probably edited out from what we see on TV. The three and a half hours we spent there flew by. I look forward to the next time we can do it.

No Secrets

Last week I joined Simon, our Chief Executive and our colleague Gary Lamph at a meeting of 'No Secrets', a great local self-help group that supports people who self-harm and their families. The three of us have been invited to be Community Ambassadors, a similar position to a patron. The sheer energy of the members is very evident, especially Kerri and her mum Maureen. Our role is to advise and support their development, I believe their potential is huge, and will only be limited by the targets they set themselves. They could stay local, they could expand to cover the region, Simon suggested that they could extend their reach across the UK and beyond by way of utilising e-learning. I'll keep you updated.

Santa Express

Last weekend we were joined by around a dozen DAD stewards to assist with the arrival of Santa on his giant reindeer drawn sleigh (thanks to our friends at Warrington Lions). In addition, WDP staff and volunteers ran two giant Christmas tombola's, plus another stall selling Christmas goodies. As the sleigh headed up to the town centre the loudspeakers heralded Christmas carols and Santa waved to the crowds, by the time the sleigh parked up at Market Gate there were crowds ten deep waiting to greet Santa. After half an hour and dozens of photos with the children WDP mascot Ollie Owl joined Santa as they headed off to the WDP grotto located in the rear hall of the Market. The grotto is provided and decorated by Steve, Paul, Karen and their team from Warrington Borough Council. It provides an excellent opportunity to raise valuable funds and by running the grotto it gives us an opportunity to support the Market. As many of our staff and volunteers who run the grotto are disabled people, it provides a great opportunity to raise awareness of inclusive services and our ability. All together it was a fantastic team effort, and a great start to our festive fundraising activities, raising nearly £2,000 one our first day. Ho Ho Ho.

Friends Reunited

Finally for this month, I have always stated that our success has been made possible through developing sustainable partnerships and help of hundreds of people who have acted as brokers to open doors. Our latest development opportunity is another example of this; a few months ago we were contacted by managers from NHS Liverpool with a view to visiting our Centre for Independent Living. When they arrived it was like friends reunited as two of the team, Louise and Les were former colleagues from NHS Warrington and both knew about our successful refurbishment project. This wasn't the main reason for their visit, they were interested in the development of our nationally recognised 'retail model', as they were considering if it was transferable to the Liverpool Disabled Living Centre. Well after several months of negotiations between our teams, that have included meetings with their service user group we have agreed terms that will see WDP opening a retail and exhibition service in April next year from their current centre located in the Brunswick Industrial Park. Building on many of their excellent display areas, we plan to provide a retail area similar to our Mobility and Independent Living Store.

Looking Back

As you can see, the past four weeks have been hard work, but fun packed, and looking at my diary I know that next month won't be any quieter, with our Annual General Meeting, the presentation of our staff and volunteer awards, and this year's Appreciation of Efforts Awards, as well as launching our latest partnership initiative with Network Warrington and the party season will be in full swing with the WDP Christmas party and our Secret Santa and Buffet, and we will be working hard to complete our festive fundraising campaign.

Until next time, take care and thanks for your interest.

2011

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2009