DAD gets royal seal of approval

WARRINGTON Disability Awareness Day is set to get the royal seal of approval as it prepares to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the pioneering event.
A dedicated army of Queens Award for Volunteers winners, who have worked tirelessly in the run up to the event taking place at Walton gardens on Sunday July 10, are set to meet with Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex.
Her Royal Highness has accepted an invitation to attend the event site at Walton Hall and Gardens on Thursday July 7.
The visit will coincide with a week-long programme of activity culminating in the largest voluntary-led disability event in Europe.
Event founder and co-ordinator Dave Thompson MBE DL said: “Disability Awareness Day, and associated events, has been promoting a positive ‘can-do’ attitude towards disability for the past two decades. We are proud to share part of our landmark 20th anniversary with the Countess who has graciously accepted our invitation to come and meet with the volunteers and management team – the heart and backbone of DAD.”
The Countess’s visit on July 7 will precede the start of ‘Ignite Your Life’ that involves an afternoon of workshops, exhibition and activities including a Poets Corner, music, drama, art, crafts and complementary therapies. The event which will be open to the public, will focus on mental health and well-being.
The Countess will have the opportunity to meet with staff, service users and carers from local specialist mental health and learning disability services provider 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust who are sponsoring the event.
“We’re really looking forward to sharing examples of positive practice around patient experience and service user and carer involvement with the Countess,” says the Trust’s Chief Executive Simon Barber.
“We will also be showcasing examples of artworks that the Trust has supported service users to create. It is pleasing to see that over twenty of our partners from local voluntary organisations have agreed to join us on the day.”