Last week Learning Disabilities NorthEast held its AGM and I was asked to say a few words about my highlights of 2016/17. Here they are ...
Hello, I’m a member of the Board and last week our CEO David asked me if I had any
highlights over the past year I could tell you about.
The first thing that came
into my mind was last year’s Christmas Carol Service when, for the first time,
one of our service users, Alison, did a reading. Previously all the readings have been done by
the great and the good, like our MP, or the Mayor, or high-ups in the
Council. When Alison got up and did the
reading I realised that we’d done the right thing, and a good thing, and I felt
proud and humble to have been involved in the decision.
The next highlight is our new
Treasurer Jeff. As a board
member I’m partly responsible for all the financial things being dealt with
properly; which is a worry because I know next to nothing about finance. Now we have Jeff I can rest easy that all
that is under control, and I know he’s worked really hard improving systems and
getting the money sorted properly.
Earlier this year I went to an LD:NorthEast
do and David and Jacqui were there. I hadn't even got my coat off, almost before we’d said Hello, they asked
me “Do you knit?”
“Yes, why?”
Maureen and Val, the volunteers at Knit and
Natter were both ill and nobody in the office knew how to cast on or cast off. So the next Friday I went along, and have
been to Knit and Natter almost every week since.
At the start our Ladies were doing squares
for blankets for Africa. But since then
we’ve expanded into teddies (although Canny Annie’s always done teddies) twiddle
muffs and kitten blankets.
We’ve
presented a basket of blankets to Cat Rescue.
We’ve got twenty trauma teddies ready for Northumbria Police to give to
little children in scary situations.
And
we’ll soon be delivering a hamper of twiddle muffs, to help calm people with
Alzheimers, to the Freeman Hospital, along with some teddies for the children’s
ward.
Some of our work is also going to
be sold in aid of LDNE funds.
It is so
good that our ladies can see their work is valued, and that they can contribute
to other people’s welfare.
Finally there was the
Tomorrows Lottery Celebration Tea Party.
Because I’m on the board I got to sit at the front with the Mayor.
As some of you will remember we had a lovely
lady come to sing for us and she encouraged people to get up and dance.
At one point I looked back into the hall and
there was this big semi-circle of service users and staff, hand in hand,
dancing together.
As the mum of two autistic
boys it would be really easy to feel sorry for myself, but at that moment I
realised how privileged I am to know all these beautiful people and how there’s
no way I would want to miss out in being part of LDNE.
