Annual General Report 2008-2009

Click here to download the full AGM Report for 2009 (4MB PDF).

On behalf of our team we are delighted to welcome you to the Annual Report for 2008 to 2009.

It is with great regret that we start this report with the news that Annette Clemo, one of our longest serving volunteers and ex member of staff, sadly passed away earlier this year. Annette was a true community champion who was responsible for helping to develop WDP and worked tirelessly with a variety of other local and regional voluntary organisations. The title of this years report “Building a Better Future” was chosen because we believe that it symbolises what we have achieved throughout the year and something Annette continued to strive for.

Last year we reported that together with our partners at Warrington Borough Council we had secured nearly £1million from the National Community Assets Fund for WBC to refurbish our Centre for Independent Living in Beaufort Street off Liverpool Road. In April we relocated our services to the Orford Day Centre in Festival Avenue; a task that involved staff, volunteers and support from various partners.

During the three weeks that saw dozens of trips with an 18 ton truck, 7 ton van and several cars, it was very evident how much office furniture, equipment and information we have amassed during the past few years whilst developing our services. It certainly wouldn’t have fitted in the 3m by 3m office where we started at the Dallam Centre in 1990. The refurbishment includes a new roof, doors, windows, boundary fencing, toilets, heating, lighting, extensions and the new community café. During the refurbishment work we have identified four more opportunities to extend our services including a new workshop which will be used to deliver a mobility refurbishment project, new conservatory style meeting room, an additional extension to the caretakers house to add another community meeting room and a mobility track, which will offer training to users of scooters and other mobility aides. We have launched a Capital Appeal to raise the £175,000 to cover the building work that is scheduled to be completed by late spring next year. April also saw us extend our services to Runcorn when we opened the doors on the Halton Lea Shopmobility service. We also aim to work with Halton Borough Council to reopen a service in Widnes. Although the team has been stretched by the relocated, they have continued to deliver, and further develop services and partnerships aimed at ensuring disabled people have a “choice of opportunity”. We have expanded our Discover IT Suite and recruited two new post holders including a Mental Health Retention Worker and Business Development Officer. Our Disability Access Auditors have undertaken work with NorthWest Prisons and Warrington Polling Stations, as well as delivering Disability Awareness Training to health and social care staff.

Our services reach out to a wide audience including disabled people, their carers and families, managers and staff from the statutory and voluntary organisations, local businesses, schools, and the public. Other highlights from the past year include:

• Receiving the Best Independent Living Initiative Award from Breakthrough UK
• Receiving a Cheshire Positive Business Award from Cheshire County Council in recognition for our employment services
• Receiving the highest honor in the NorthWest Cash for Kids Award
• Several of our volunteers received recognition for their work including Doreen Menzies - Safeway Pensioners Award Matthew James, Ros Schofield, Phillippa Cannon, Karen Beaton, Christine Hollowell, Eilish Yates and Sandra Maxwell - Adult Learners & NVQ Awards
• Most recently our employment team received the National Avanta Best Partner Award
• During the year Buckingham Palace announced that our Queens Award for Voluntary Services which we received in 2006 has been given the status of an MBE for the organisation.

During the year we have extended our community engagement. Ollie, the WDP mascot, has had great success in various mascot races and he has made guest appearances at local schools and community events. We also extended our methods of communication onto Facebook, Twitter, E-Newsletter and Chairman’s Blog on our website. In keeping with our ambition to operate as a “Social Enterprise”, nearly a third of our services were “self funded” through a programme of fundraising activities; baby Chloe Thompson got in on the act before she was born as staff ran a sweep to “guess the baby’s weight”.

In line with our commitment to operate as a community partner we procured services from local sources including printing, advertising, IT support, telecommunications, surveillance equipment, security, office supplies, repairs and maintenance to our premises, van, narrow boat and other facilities. As you can see it has been another action packed year at WDP. We know that the coming years will bring new challenges as our funders face the financial challenges that have resulted from the economic crisis. Our aim will be to ensure the least disruption to our services and to support our staff, volunteers and service users through the anxiety and frustrations that this will no doubt cause.

On behalf of the team we would like to thank all of our partners for their continuing support.We would also like to thank fellow Trustees/Directors, our staff and volunteers, the people who use our services and everyone who has supported us during the past year. We would like to acknowledge the work of Phil Edwards – a Trustee/Director who retired this year, Phil played a vital role in developing the services we offer today. Finally we would like to invite you to read the full report and consider if actions really do speak louder than words!

We look forward to working with you all next year.

Dave & Jayne