Supporting Voluntary and Community Action
Mike Deane | Christine Carter | Marion Harris | Howard Myers | Anne Bush |
Mike is involved with a number of projects; Knowle West Health Park Co, Diabetes UK groups in south Bristol and has recently become a health champion. Despite having health issues of his own, which can sometimes be very debilitating, Mike is always willing to help out no matter what the event, activity or task. Mike always seems happy and enthusiastic and if you ask him to do something he does it to his very best, and with an eye for detail.
At KWHPC Mike has participated in Strategic Planning. For Diabetes UK he has worked with others to develop new services in the South of Bristol.
Mike is really enthusiastic about all of his voluntary work, but if he is unsure or not aware of all of the information, he will find out, link people to the right people, and work hard to ensure that people get the information they need.
Mike has taken on planning health events in South Bristol, developed opportunities for joint work and increased the availability of information to local people on the issues of Health and Wellbeing. He also undertook a thorough review of KWHPC's Health and Safety policies and procedure, which took a lot of time and dedication.
Since joining our board, Christine has worked tirelessly, supporting the young people and making sure they have even more opportunities to voice their concerns and to lead the important work that we do. She has given our charity structure and has helped us develop a long term funding and strategy plan that will enable us to start working on a national level. Not only has Christine done so much for our charity, she completely understands the meaning of 'youth led' work and has ensured all the decisions were guided by the voice of us young people; she has been a friend too and the moment she joined, we realised there is so much more we can do to change the world we are growing up in. I and many of the young people feel privileged to have met her and to call her a friend.
She has helped us develop a youth steering group which is now Chaired by one of the young trustees; she has developed a business and strategy plan and a mission statement and a vision; she has reviewed and improved all our policies and given us a structure we never had before. Her 30 years experience in Child Protection has been invaluable in shaping the way we work and has helped us improve the way we deliver CP training and FGM awareness sessions nationally.
By bringing her expertise and sharing it with the board and the young people; by understanding and valuing the meaning of 'youth led' and ensuring all decisions continue to be made with and for young people. Christine has given so much more than her volunteer hours as a trustee; she meets regularly with us, is aware of the ups and downs of our lives and is always there to celebrate our successes. She is funny too and having her on the board makes everything lively! Above all, she is a friend we trust and can go to when something worries us. She has taken on the role of treasurer and everything is much clearer and more streamlined which is really important now that we have core funding and can finally look to expand our work nationally.
Marion Harris has been actively involved in Full Circle since creating the project from an idea that all Children should be able to access the fresh air of the countryside regardless of their wealth. Marion then set about arranging camping holidays for under privileged Children in the St Pauls Area. The project that started in 1980 has evolved to become Full Circle @Docklands and she is still one of our most dedicated Trustees 35 years on. Marion has been instrumental in our recent Community Asset Transfer, which has enabled us to retain the use of a purpose built youth centre for the young people of Ashley. She has, dedicated hours of personal time to ensure the smooth transition for staff, as well as going above and beyond in her efforts to secure funding, recruit volunteers,administer policies - these are just a few of the many contributions Marion Harris has made to Full Circle @Docklands
Marion Harris is an excellent trustee, there are so many contributions she made to the organisation personally, professionally, financially. We receive a wealth of experience which goes beyond doing good for the community, but also reaches and touches individual lives, which in itself is priceless. Regularly attends monthly trustee meetings & weekly staff meetings. When staff were Tuped due to withdrawal of youth funding from BCC, Marion kept the projects and administration going when there were no staff to do so. She supported and ran the summer activities programme for young people with few volunteers. Marion inspired the organisation to be at the top of its game when engaging and working with young people. She supported Full Circle to review our vision, mission and business plan, & worked closely with many agencies to help it happen. She helped enormously with managing other board trustees processing the CAT for Docklands, Marion recognised that the community could not lose this building.
Marion has been committed in using her own time to raise funds for Full Circle doing funding grants, charitable events etc. She has attended many meetings to raise the profile of Full Circle and ensure it hears and understands the voices of the diverse community we serve. Marion has lead by exemplary example in everything she does. She leads in a gentle and insightful way, & constantly supports and empowers those around her to become skilled in whatever they undertake. She cares passionately and deeply about the community and was one of the initial founders of this organisation. Marion solidly supported us & ensured our rise up to thrive and grow. As a small charity we have weathered many storms but we are still here fighting and that is due to the desire, strong will & dedication from Marion Harris to continue to provide youth services in the local Area
Marion has always kept up Morale when times have been tough, & worked just as hard as any paid staff to delivery projects to young people. From 1980 – 2015 Marion has to be one of the longest serving trustees for a voluntary organisation. Highly regarded, always willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the successful running of Full Circle. She has been a personal inspiration for young people to improve on their personal development, raising aspirations of going to university, & providing mentoring for trustees. Marion has robustness in ensuring Full Circle meets and exceeds in the services it provides to the community. Her skills and experience passed on is invaluable, she’s increased the amount of volunteers in the past that engaged with us and is commitment to put on fundraising events that support us. Marion highhandedly managed to get sponsorship for the youth Football team in the past, which we thought was amazing.
Howard has been a huge support to Law Centre at a time when funding is reducing and the role of the treasurer is particularly critical. He makes finance understandable and relevant to all. He has moved the organisation forward over last two years ensuring actions can be taken at the right time to deal with funding shortfalls, helping us to achieve sustainability. He is fully committed to our objectives and the people we help, and never forgets the importance of staff morale and well being. He has a great eye for detail and a passion for getting things done right. He is a great person to work with – always does what he says he will do and more. He always attends meetings – has not missed one since joined! And he is able to get straight to the heart of the issue. We’re not sure how we managed with out him.
Howard has driven forward improvement and change in financial processes and monitoring and long term financial planning to support sustainability at a difficult time for the organisation. He has achieved his goal of raising the understanding and relevance of management accounts across the Board and has been able to link financial performance to our strategic objectives.
Howard takes his role very seriously and is always happy to represent the Board at both internal and external events. He has a thorough understanding of the work which we do and the challenges we face and how the external climate impacts on this and what issues on the horizon we need to be considering" He has gone above and beyond what would normally be expected through:
- detailed scrutiny of financial information on a monthly basis:
- Provides ongoing challenge to Director and finance staff to drive improvements
- Excellent preparation for meetings
- Drafting procedures
- Drive to make sure all Board members understand the financial position
- Protection of organisations reserves through decisions about bank accounts
- Significant time commitment
- Attending social events
- Member of staff/ board forum
Anne is a founding member of our 26-year old charity, who embodies the principals of partnership-working and client participation in her vision and all of her endeavours. She was definitely ahead of her time! Anne recognised from the start that parents and professionals must work together to achieve the best outcomes for their children and she made a key contribution to the establishment of our charity. Since 1989 she has remained a nurturing force in our organisation. Anne is one of the kindest and most inspiring people I have ever been privileged to work with. She never hesitates to positively challenge our thinking and our aims, to ensure that we are in a position to maintain high standards and grasp every opportunity to improve and build on our service. She is always there for us and her careful stewardship ensures that we are as sustainable as possible in challenging times. "Anne has, as a member of our Board and relevant sub-groups, always directly contributed to strategic planning, the development and scrutiny of our business and continuity planning and associated risk assessments. She has a valuable understanding of how Local Authorities commission and the unique factors that might influence or direct their thinking or priorities. Anne is able to interpret and explain this, and put it into context so that the board of trustees can focus on our strategic priorities and achieve the best fit between the needs of our clients and the responsibilities and requirements of our commissioners. Anne is also well-versed in the legislation, regulations and guidance that we work to. This means that the board is able to anticipate future service requirements and make strategic decisions that achieve the best outcomes for our service users, based on this awareness of the direction of travel, both nationally and locally.
Most importantly, Anne has given unstintingly of her time and experience. She has shared our frustrations but kept us positive and in the here-and-now, so that we are always prepared for change. She is both a critical friend and a safe pair of hands." "Anne has good working relationships with a wide range of people from the voluntary and statutory sectors and she has the confidence and commitment to attend strategic meetings and also to support us to plan and prepare when we are faced with negotiating anything, from our lease to our service level agreement. She has taken a lead in meeting regularly with Local Authority elected members as well as officers, to showcase the work that we do and keep us “visible” as a service provider and local charity, firmly rooted in our community.
Anne also has fantastic contacts with the wider voluntary sector. She’s on the board of a number of other VCS organisations, who are also delighted to support this nomination. She helps these organisations to work together, share and support each other and benefit from a close working relationship – resources are scarce and with Anne’s help we avoid duplication and develop strong and productive links." "Anne is always there for us. Over the years she has taken a range of roles within the board of trustees and has been one of the “keepers of the flame” – remarkably we still retain two founding members on our board (she is one of them) and Anne has always been willing to adjust her focus, depending on the needs of the organisation. She is an effective and powerful supporter of other board members as well as staff members.
She supports us, as an identified member of the board, with safeguarding issues and is committed to ensuring that staff are well trained and supported to develop their skills in every aspect of our work. She is especially crucial to delivery of our in-house courses for parent carers, which are really valued, and has not only planned and prepared the materials we use, but has also delivered these courses for many years.
Anne will read (and always comments usefully on) the often long complex reports and documents we have to produce. She is really positive and offers sound advice, but she is not a soft touch! If Anne agrees to something, you know she has given it full and careful consideration.
Despite her long-term contribution she keeps us focused on the future and good sustainable practices. It is thanks in great part to Anne’s dedication and commitment that Supportive Parents has achieved so much, for and with parents, children and young people in Bristol.