Our first in person AGM since 2019
This month we hosted our first in person AGM since 2019. As well as making plans for our future, it gave us an opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months and our performance. Last year’s AGM saw us look to the future and anticipate a post COVID recovery. Unfortunately, COVID had other ideas for us and we continue to feel the impact of the pandemic on our lives, with challenges for both our staff and the communities we work with. Despite this however, the last year has seen optimism return with many achievements along the way.
Our service provision experienced several milestones during the year. We provided talking therapies and bereavement support to 10,576 people. We are proud to say that our bereavement service was successfully commissioned in 2021 as the Greater Manchester Bereavement Services (GMBS) and we are delighted that the summer of 2021 saw the launch of the Salford Bereavement and Loss Therapy Service. True to our vision, we continue to enable the communities we serve to achieve their best mental health and wellbeing.
As an organisation we have also had our own small triumphs. We moved to a new spacious office. This helped us to regroup following the isolated working days of the pandemic and, perhaps an even greater achievement following the pandemic, we achieved a Silver award from Investors in People.
The pandemic has tested our resilience as a society with often the most vulnerable being adversely affected – further widening health inequalities. We, as an organisation have been able to function, even thrive. This has allowed those who most depend on our support to continue to do so in the face of the pandemic, something we are incredibly proud of.
The feedback we have received shows our people are kind, helpful and compassionate, and our staff make a huge difference to their lives. There is no question that our people have been an invaluable asset over the last few years.
This AGM marked a turning point as we came back together. It was a precious moment to reflect, share progress, collaborate and catch up. Also to say thank you and recognise the remarkable levels of commitment our staff and partners show to the communities we serve on a daily basis.
