The Beneficiary Open Day was held in March 2024.  It was attended by 25 beneficiaries and 11 family members/carers, 2 interpreters, 16 members of staff and 3 Trustees (Mark Spofforth, Chair of Trustees; Professor Andrew Owens and David Body) .

We have received lots of wonderful feedback about the day.  Here’s a selection of quotes we have received from beneficiaries:

"My expectations were exceeded. The Trust staff really are perfect hosts and any initial nerves on arrival soon disappeared. The talks that Deborah and the Trustee gave were very informative and interesting. The Trust staff were very keen to engage and answer any questions. The lunch was superb and took into consideration my dietary requirements!"

“The fact we had interpreters on hand made it really inclusive – Signlive worked well  last year, but this was so much better. "

“All the staff were truly helpful and kind. So good to put faces to names and have the opportunity to thank them all."

“Meeting new beneficiaries, I hadn’t met before and catching up with familiar ones."

“It was such a relaxing atmosphere and there was the fun side as well with some humour, which I enjoyed too."

“I wanted to take up the opportunity to meet up with familiar beneficiary faces which I have not seen for a long time and to also meet the Trust team again. Was also pleased to have a chat with the Trustees who were there. I also just wanted to show my support and appreciation."

“I had a lovely time. I met loads of new people I haven’t met before & the staff were brilliant."

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In April 2023 the first Beneficiary Open Day since the Covid pandemic was held at the Trust offices.  It was great to see everyone in person again!

We had a good turn out - 26 beneficiaries with 14 guests, 3 Trustees and 19 members of staff as well as 2 of our specialist advisers.

It was an informal day with plenty of chance for beneficiaries to meet new people and catch up with old friends. Everyone was also interested to see the recently refurbished offices which have created a better environment for all. The newly installed lift was a particular benefit for all visitors.

Deborah Jack (Executive Director) and Mark Spofforth (Chair of Trustees) spoke about the recent Governance Review, which highlighted the need for better beneficiary engagement between Trustees and beneficiaries. The recent survey sent out by Marketing Means was discussed and the importance of participation by all beneficiaries was reiterated by Mark. Without the input of our beneficiaries, we won’t be able to learn and understand how we can best support the whole beneficiary community. The words spoken by Deborah and Mark were well received and gave insight into the reasons behind the recent survey.

We received plenty of feedback about the day, with the majority of people saying how good it was to meet both staff and beneficiaries face to face. Here’s a selection of quotes from beneficiaries:

"To meet and chat with as many people as possible including meeting Trustee's, staff and beneficiaries in a calm informal atmosphere. Also I was interested to hear the current views from the chair on the NAC / Trustee situation.”

"Very friendly atmosphere and got to chat to several new faces.”

“It's always nice to meet the staff in person rather than on end of a phone. Also it's nice to meet other beneficiaries that I have or haven't already seen."

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In 2019 the Beneficiary Open Day was attended by 17 guests along with all the Trust staff.

It was an informal, relaxing day where beneficiaries caught up with old friends and made new acquaintances. We even got a repeat visit from Dexter the dog.

Deborah spoke about the Trust's recent activities and beneficiaries got the chance to speak with staff members to address health & wellbeing and financial questions they had.

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