"Our experience of the 2012 AGM"

We are the Changing Services Group at Rosewood and we would like to share our views and comments of the AGM 2012.

Steve (serice user volunteer and recovery champion) sadly wasn't present as he missed the bus! !

Sue (service user) attended the event for the first time and really enjoyed it. Sue stepped in to help a wheelchair user and helped him with his lunch and oversaw his needs for the day. Sue helped welcome visitors to the event and sign post them to the various infomration stands.

Ingrid (carer volunteer and recovery champion) attended the event for the third year running. Ingrid was managing a stand at the event and was impressed this year at how visible the Involvement stand and the Human Library stand were in particular. It definitely attracted more people and interest, which is fantastic as we are trying to promote these services. Last year was quite poor as we were out of the way but this year we were at the front of the atrium. When Mike Cooke visited Rosewood in August for our "Catch up with Cooke" session he mentioned that it would be a good idea to have the same position at next years AGM.

Soraya (service user volunteer Rosehip belly dancer) was unable to attend the event, however felt it would be a great idea to have the Rosehip Belly Dancers perform at the next AGM.

The only negative thought from the group was the food on the whole was disappointing. In past events their has been a hot buffet but on this occasion it was sandwiches, crisps and a drink. It felt like a packed lunch rather than a proper lunch. On a positive note though the snacks that were bought round mid morning were very nice.

We enjoyed the showcase given by board members, Dean Fathers, Mike Cooke and Ruth Hawkins. We felt that was a very valuable part of the day. The question and answer session was very good.