Welcoming over 40 guests Changing Our Lives hosted its Annual General Meeting and Volunteers Celebrations event on Friday 26th April in the Pink Tank Café in The Public.  Recognising the commitment and enthusiasm delivered by our volunteers, this evening was an opportunity to celebrate this and officially thank them.

Starting off with the Annual General Meeting, Changing Our Lives welcomed Adam Hughes, an accountant, who will form part of the management board of trustees. In doing this we said goodbye to Rob Chance who has stepped down from the board. Ron Silvester will remain a vice chair.

Once the AGM was over, the real celebrations could start. In true Changing Our Lives style we started with a quiz, testing the knowledge of our guests around volunteering. Questions included the number of people who volunteer each year, who is more likely to volunteer - men or women, and how much it would cost the economy if people did not volunteer. The quiz was well received and the winners were the 'three girlys' made up of Isabelle Brant, Sarah Bentley and Hannah Reilly.

Volunteers in the organisation play an integral part and we wanted to formally recognise this. We recognised volunteers from the following work streams; parent and family carers, the Patients Council, Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Dudley MPs, young leaders with the Young Voices network, Trustees and external fundraisers such as Dave Heeley.  Each volunteer was personally thanked and a small speech delivered to recognise his or her unique volunteering skills. A certificate and gift was also presented to each individual.

We were very fortunate to welcome Dave Heeley to speak about the benefits of volunteering and he shared some of his positive experiences of volunteering and the positive impact volunteers have on events, such as the London Paralympics.

Our guests were invited to complete a questionnaire during the evening. It was an opportunity for the organisation to find out about what we do well to support people as a volunteers but also to gather feedback on how we might improve this. Below are some of the comments we received.  When asked what we do well, this was the response:

" Guiding and providing support to all people with disabilities"
" Supportive, approachable, consistent"
" A fun and supportive environment to work in. We are made to feel equal and valued"

When asked could be do anything better, again another positive response:

" Nothing, the support is there and we feel respected
" I like Changing Our Lives. They makes you feel like a real person, not someone with a disability"
" Keep up the good work".

Changing our Lives and the Black Country Partnership Foundation Trust are holding a value and vision event on the 19th of April at the Public in West Bromwich where people with learning disabilities have been invited to shape the Trust's value and vision statement. The event will be a series of fun and interactive activities aimed at producing a set of values that are important to the people who use the Trust's services.

Following a truly fantastic evening at the Spotlight 2012 Final last November we are ready to welcome old and new performers to this year's Open Mic nights.  
Spotlight is a celebration of the often hidden artistic talents of people with disabilities across the Black Country. Leading up to the grand final at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on 31st January 2014 (we've really thought big this year!), there will be regular open mic nights where anyone can perform. Talent Scouts will select acts to compete for the title of Spotlight Winner.  So, whatever you're good at – dance, song, comedy, drama - get in touch and book your slot to share your talent with all of us. We look forward to seeing you, the dates for your diary are:

19th April, 6-8pm - Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton
24th May, 6-8pm - Dudley College
19th July, 6-8pm - The Public, West Bromwich
20th September, 6-8pm - Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton
22nd November, 6-8pm - Dudley College

It was cold, wet and windy at 7.00am this morning (22nd June) but 500 cyclists still left The Molineux headed for Aberdovey on the annual charity bike ride organised by Wolverhampton Police to raise money for local charities.  This year Changing Our Lives is lucky to be one of the charities the bike ride will support.  Amongst the cyclists was our friend Blind Dave Heeley and trustee Steve Dugmore.  Dave said 'It's wet, it's wild, it's windy, but it's wonderful" when we caught up with him at checkpoint 2 just outside Shrewsbury.  Nigel was doing a fantastic job of directing all of the cyclists into the checkpoint.

Tomorrow, (23rd June) Dave and his team will be cycling back into the Public to raise funds for Changing Our Lives and in memory of Liz Mabley.  Please come along and cheer them across the finish line from 2.30pm onwards.  Its Open Mic from 5pm onwards!

Siraaj Nadat led a Getting Ready health event today (29th May 2012) at the Public in West Bromwich. The Getting Ready event is part of the learning disability Health Self-Assessment that is happening all around England. At the Getting Ready day, we have been asking local people with learning disabilities what good things are happening with health care and what needs to get better. This information is then fed into a Big Health Check Day where people with learning disabilites work with professionals to prioritize what needs to be done locally to make health care better.

All of this information, along with information from the local council and the Primary Care Trust is then sent to the NHS West Midlands. NHS West Midlands check to see if this information is correct and then each local authority area is told how they are doing and what they need to do better.

The Big Health Check Day is happening at the Public on 19th June. If you want any more information about it email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.