Diary of a charity CEO - 25/02

This week at Caudwell Children has been shorter than usual as I have taken some time away from the office to spend quality time with my family and try to concentrate on my own health, which unfortunately sometimes suffers as a result of my hectic diary - certainly not something I condone but that's just how I'm made!

But that little bit of time away from the office was not before some very important visitors came to see me and the team at the CICC.

One layer of my vision and strategy for building the Caudwell International Children's Centre was that it would at long last give the charity a 'shop window' in which we could show our supporters and partners who we are and what we do. For the first 19 years of the charity we were based in a small administrative office in Stoke-on-Trent, with all of our services being delivered in communities or family's homes around the country so it was difficult to effectively demonstrate how their support was really changing children's lives.

But with the launch of the CICC that all changed and now one of my favourite parts of my job is welcoming old friends and new contacts to Keele and giving them the grand tour of our facilities, introducing them to the team and letting them see some of our work in action.

On Monday this week Ben Sutcliffe and I hosted three back to back tours and meetings with visitors. The first was with the wonderful Abid Khan, my fellow IOD Greater Birmingham Committee Member, with his colleagues from Pathway2Grow to discuss an exciting new event which will see local corporates attending the CICC for a regular networking event.

We were then delighted to welcome our long-time supporter and great friend, Duncan Bannatyne with his daughter Evie for a tour. Duncan and his wife, Nigora, have been loyal and committed friends to Caudwell Children for a number of years so it was fantastic to have this very special extended opportunity to explain to him just how grateful we are and how much of a difference his support has made to the lives of the children they have enabled us to help.

During their visit Duncan and Evie, a SEND teacher herself, took part in some healthy pizza making with children attending for a short break activity, officially 'cut the ribbon' on the assessment suite they have sponsored, added their dedicated butterfly to our special Thank You wall in the courtyard and received a thank you frame from some of the children they have supported over the last year. It was really great spending this time with them both and discussing all of the ways our partnership is helping to change the way autistic and disabled children are supported in the UK.

Finally, it was a visit from my CEO counterpart from Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust Charity, Mark Brider and his Director, Matt for a really interesting discussion about inclusive design and meaningful stakeholder engagement which I look forward to continuing in the future as their plans for the hospital hopefully move forward.

It was also a pleasure at the start of the week to get the chance to spend a little bit of time with the children and families attending half term short break activities at the CICC. There is nothing better than seeing the spaces I designed being used and enjoyed by children and young people who welcome the calm (but exciting) environment for fun activities that also teach valuable life skills.

In other news this week it was great to offer roles to three of the candidates I interviewed last week, all of whom I am convinced will be really fantastic additions to the team and help with continuing to make 2022 a successful year.

But as I said at the beginning, my job and the 24/7 nature of it sometimes does take its toll and physically I have had recurring back problems as well as acute migraines for many years. So when I do allow myself some time of, which I have this week, I combine a bit of self care with important time with my family. Even acting as 'Mum Taxi' to my eldest son, taking him to and from his part time job is very special for me as I don't often don't get the chance without having to take calls or rush off somewhere else before or after.

I will leave you this week with a picture of my husband, daughter and I at the brilliant Warwick University Climbing Centre where we enjoyed a lovely day of quality time together while keeping fit and healthy, the perfect treatment for my migraine and overall wellbeing. Back next week with a focus on some of the work that goes into event planning, as we prepare for some exciting events in the coming months including The Grand Night Out, Children's Activities Week and The Butterfly Ball .

Have a great week - look after yourself!