CEO’s Blog – July 2023

Advocacy & Influence

I’m a hybrid worker. This means I spend time working on-site, usually meeting with colleagues, collaborators and our neighbours in the WMC. Most of my working week is spent at home, and I’m fortunate enough to have a home office where I do my written work, such as reports, grant applications and my online meetings. Every once in a while, I get to step out of my usual routine and attend conferences, training or networking events where I formally represent Touch Trust. It was at a recent conference with the Centre for Social Justice that I came up with the idea for this latest blog.

I’d spent the morning meeting counterparts from other charities, each passionate and dedicated to their cause and often sharing the same anxieties over funding and resources. There was also a common agreement that the area of their work, disability, child poverty, culture and health were unlikely to improve without major intervention and were almost certainly worse. The cumulative effect of the pandemic, inflation and the cost of living crisis has left the most necessary services under-resourced and desperate for change.

Also attending the event were local politicians, who were keen to hear of these challenges. It’s easy to be cynical about politics, but I was struck by their sincerity, and in the run-up to a general election next year, there is a genuine opportunity for change.

So this month, I’d like to know what Touch Trust can do for you and your family, not in terms of our services but our influence. What can we do as advocates to communicate the challenges that you face? How can we help?

I’m lucky enough to be able to occasionally talk to people who can make a difference, so when I do, I want to make sure that I’m equipped to tell your stories, so please reach out. You can email me at gray.hill@touchtrust.co.uk

Until next time, be well.