Diary of a charity CEO - 11/02

In my last entry I mentioned how my time is often spent working on pushing the charity forward, while the brilliant team I have around me help to ensure we stay on track.

There are lots of ways that I do this including service development, PR and media, events, fundraising, networking and much much more but the particular area I'm going to focus on this week is project work with the charity's founder and most passionate supporter, John Caudwell.

I've worked closely with John for more years than either of us care to remember and this week I have spent time with him at his Staffordshire home discussing some current projects, and we have also worked on the public launch of the latest exciting initiative that we've been busy developing.

Being philanthropic and supporting Caudwell Children is not just part of what he does, it is carefully woven into every element of his life, so there are always a number of projects that we will work on together which utilise his business acumen, network of contacts and his public profile to help achieve some of the objectives of the charity.

A brilliant example of this is the new partnership we have forged with the Great British Entrepreneur Awards (GBEA) and the launch this week of the John Caudwell 'Blaze Your Own Trail' Award, which will recognise entrepreneurs and businesses that demonstrate a true commitment to supporting young people into employment, including removing some of the barriers young people may face when just starting their career.

As a former Michelin Tyres apprentice himself, John was passionate about championing the benefits and importance of non-academic and supported routes into employment and recognising those businesses that provide the same kind of opportunities and experiences that he had as a young apprentice.

I recognised this as an opportunity for both of us as the collaboration with the GBEA community also provides a perfect platform for me and Caudwell Children to support businesses of all shapes and sizes to become more accessible for disabled young people and increase understanding of the benefits of employing a truly diverse workforce.

By working together, we are increasing opportunities for all young people to find jobs and develop their own careers to reach their full potential.

Caudwell Children provides practical and emotional support for children from birth to 18, but we care about their wellbeing and the opportunities they will have for the rest of their lives. That is why I am so passionate about establishing partnerships and delivering projects that will change the way society understands and accepts people with different abilities and people with neurodivergent conditions who experience the world differently.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards is just one of several projects the team and I are working on alongside John, more of which I'm sure I will cover in future diary entries!

As well as all of this I have also managed to fit in some really productive meetings with Sarah Pugh from Whizz-Kidz, a Children's Alliance steering group meeting and spent some time with Claire Powell & The CAN Group team discussing the year ahead.

I have also been working on plans for the Butterfly Ball in July and the very exciting new event we are launching in association with The Institute of Directors in Birmingham (A Grand Night Out!)

Add in some more interviews and a call with a researcher for a potential TV documentary and just like that, another week is done!

Have a great weekend.

T x