This is your offical invite to this years AGM, which will be held online separate from the family day, This is to keep it short and enable more people to attend who normally can not get to the family days. We are also trying a new format to the AGM as we know not everyone will be able to join this meeting so we will be recorded and uploading to the website for you to view in your own time. This will also give members 28 days to object or make their views to the committee.
We are also aware due to the reduced number of trustees being able to help with the AGM this year, it has put more responsibility on the remaining trustees to get everything in order to keep within the constitution, in light of this we are allowing more poeple to comment on the AGM after the event so we can put these actions forward moving into the next chapter of the group.
We welcome any feedback and if you have any questions about how to join or watch the meeting then do get in touch. Keep an eye on the facebook page linked below and the website for updates.
We are holding the AGM online this year, this is to enable more people to be involved and give feedback to us, it also allows us to give you instant replies to any questions you have about the group as well as meet the current committee and say goodbye to the ones leaving us this year.
We will still be holding a family day but this is going to be separate to the AGM, The committee took this decision because not all the trustees will be able to attend the family day, plus it gives us a more relaxed day to be able to talk to you all one to one. We have so much expert experience within the membership and it would be a shame not to share what we have learnt about WDS over the years, but I for one find myself running around at the family days trying to get everything setup for the AGM so by moving this online it frees us up on the family days to chat and share our knowledge.
The AGM will be held on 22nd May 2023 in the evening, so keep an eye out on social media for more details on how you can take part and join in and watch. The AGM will also be recorded and posted for you to watch at a later date and you will be able to offer feedback via the website afterwards.
Another date to save in your calendar is July 16th For the family day which will be held at Thames Valley Adventure Playground – Bath Rd, Taplow, Maidenhead SL6 0PR. you can register your attendance here https://wdssg.org/wds-family-day-acceptance-form/
Look forward to hearing from you
Mark Mayer Chairperson on behalf of the WDS committee
Recent resignations of trustees have enabled us to find new people who would like to join us on the board of trustees. In addition to this I have considered changing the constitution, we have not looked at this for over 20 years now. Many things in the constitution can remain the same but other things like the number of trustees can change and the considerable large funds within research accounts can be looked at again so it can be better used to support the families and people with Worster-Drought Syndrome. This is your opportunity to make these changes.
Why now? We have remained pretty much the same for so many years, with the same things happening but times have changed. Social media wasn’t even invented when the charity was set up. With so much information is available online now we are not really become a resource for that information, We have found ourselves mainly running family days for the younger children, while this is still beneficial for new and younger children it does leave a huge part of people affected by Worster-Drought out, this has also been shown by the drop in the numbers of our membership as a lot of you have taken to finding out information via social media and searching online.
What does this mean for the charity going forward? This really depends on what you all would like. The current constitution doesn’t really reflect everything we can do now and under the current trustees it only meets the minimum requirements set by the charities commission. That said there is still a real risk of the charity closing and giving the money to a like minded charity. So many people have spend a lot of time raising money for us, it would seem a shame for the money to go to another charity rather than supporting us all. Giving this information my personal view as your chairman would be to use the money to enable the charity to grow and arrange some more events around the UK so each and every one of you can benefit from it.
We cannot do this without you, I have spoken to some of the remaining trustees and members for their views this week. The view I have got back was to the charity to become more of a supportive role but in order for us to do this we need to think more local. With Worster-drought being so rare our membership is spread thinly around the country so arranging anything that pleases everyone is challenging. Experience has shown me that there are pockets of members around the country that due to their location don’t or can’t get involved like the Southeast and West of the UK and up north, this is a shame as both of these areas are beautiful parts of the country and have and have a lot to offer for days out. At the last committee meeting it was decided to create a private local WhatsApp group for us to arrange things on the fly without having to go through the whole process of contacting everyone to arrange events, The charity can then support you in anything you need to make these events happen with funds etc.
Below I have created a feedback form for you to give me your suggestion so it can be added to list of things we can do to support you. In addition to this I am keen as your chair for you to contact me within the next week, if you do not feel able to fill out the form just drop me a message any way that suits you and we can speak on the phone, Like I say I have done this with some people already. If no one steps forward then there is a real risk that the charity would have to close but I will try my best to make positive changes to the group but I need your help in doing this.
As you may have read in the latest newsletter we are planning to change the format of the “AGM & Family Day” next year (2017) by dividing it into 2 separate events. An AGM & Get together to share experiences in London and secondly an adventure weekend for the young and young at heart like Mark and John.
We have looked at a number of venues and drawn up a short list on which we would love to hear your opinion.
At present we are planning to go sometime in September when the weather is likely to be good and the water is at its warmest.
Please have a look and let us know what you think, would you come, which would you prefer to go to, do you know of a better venue? Please send your ideas to the committee at committee@wdssg.org.uk .
Unfortunately the group will not be able to sponsor such a meeting so it will have to be self-financed.
By popular demand, WDSSG Christmas cards are back and will be available in the next few days. At the bargain price of £3.00 plus P&P, all moneys made go to support the aims of the group.
Post and Packing is £2.60 for the first pack +30p for each additional pack.
1 Pack £3 P&P 2.60 Total £5.60
2 Packs £6 P&P 2.60+30 Total £8.90
3 Packs £9 P&P 2.60+60 Total £12.20
4 Packs £12 P&P 2.60+90 Total £15.50
Etc.
To order please Email Nicki the group’s secretary secretary@wdssg.org.uk with your Name, address, how many packs you wish to buy and how you wish to pay. Please copy your order to treasurer@wdssg.org.uk
You can pay by:-
Bank Transfer (BACS); this is the preferred method as it free to you and the group. Please set the Payment reference to Cards and the number of Packs you are buying e.g. Cards 3 for 3 packs.
Cheque; please send to John Butt, 212 Ashcroft Road Ipswich Suffolk IP1 6AF
Did you know that each October the international AAC Awareness Month is celebrated around the world to commemorate and build awareness about Augmentative and Alternative Communication?
We’re excited to announce that during the AAC Month we will be releasingProloquo2Go in French! The French version of our symbol-based communication app will be live on the App Store on October 5.
3 days of discounts
The 50% discount on these products will be in effect from Wednesday October 5, World Cerebral Palsy Day, until Friday October 7.
Discount on high volume purchases
The discount will also apply to Apple’s Volume Purchase Program for Education making this a great opportunity to buy more and save more!
Share the news
Do you know people who could benefit from these apps? Spread the word about this limited-time discount!
Speechless shockingly overwrites everything you know about people without speech, and introduces their own stories to stage.
It tells the story of 19-year-old Rebecca. Like Kate, our director, she has no speech due to cerebral palsy. However, like many people in the UK and worldwide, Rebecca has no access to a communication aid or other methods of alternative communication. This means that her story, opinions, and devious teenage thoughts remain unspoken.
This production challenges widespread views about disabled people, through the mediums of dark humour, imaginary friends, and disabled criminals (disabled people can be evil too).
