Chair's report
Firstly, I would like to express my thanks to my fellow members of the Council of Management for electing me for a second time as Chair; it is an honour to represent the Association in this role. It is always inspiring to work with such dedicated and enthusiastic people who share a strong desire to achieve the very best possible for people affected by epilepsy. I would particularly like to acknowledge Keith Skivington (vice Chair) and Beryl Sharlot (Honorary Treasurer) who both supported me so generously through the year. At the AGM in June we said goodbye to Dr Susan Duncan after 7 years’ service on the Council. Susan brought the valuable insight and knowledge of a consultant neurologist and Council will miss her analytical mind and sound common sense. At the same time we were delighted to welcome Gavin Barlow as a new member of Council. Gavin previously worked for the charity, running the Sapphire nurse scheme. His familiarity with the way the Association works has enabled him to be a very effective trustee right from the start.
2011 was a busy and at times unpredictable year. Like many charities right now, the tough economic conditions have presented the Association with some very difficult choices to make. My thanks go to all members of staff for their hard work in managing the financial challenges they have encountered this year. The financial situation and our response to it are reported in more detail in the Honorary Treasurer’s report. However, I would like to highlight that the Association continued to provide its many services and maintained the hallmark quality for which they are known. As a result 1,076,874 people benefited from using our services in 2011. This is the first time that we have reached more than 1 million people in a single year.
Our most significant event last year was the completion of our new long term strategy. This was the culmination of an exhaustive consultation process that involved every kind of interest in the charity. We listened very carefully to what
people had to say about the Association and about epilepsy. We learned what was most important in people’s lives and they told us what they wanted most of all. We took all of this and have put together a really exciting and ambitious plan.
Our future focus is going to be on ensuring that all people with epilepsy have specialist health care and treatment for their condition and that they can lead their lives free of stigma, prejudice and discrimination. To make this happen we are going to concentrate on achieving four things. We will improve the quality of health care services for people with epilepsy and make these more available. We will change public attitudes towards epilepsy. We will support people to be influential in the management of their epilepsy. We will be a diverse, representative and effective organisation. We are going to do all this by providing advice and information about epilepsy; by raising awareness about epilepsy; by educating people about epilepsy and by providing a voice for epilepsy.
We are clear about what we want and we are confident and determined in how we go about things. We know that it will not be easy to achieve our goals and change won’t happen overnight. But the Association’s greatest asset is its people –
the thousands of loyal, committed and generous people who support us in so many ways. Together we can bring about a better life for people affected by epilepsy.
June Massey
Chair, Council of Management
3 April 2012
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