Ambassadors for CASBA are challenging themselves to walk 500 miles in May to give more people the gift of independence.
Demand for support from advocacy charities like ours is at an all-time high. We work with citizens with Learning Disabilities, who are one of the groups to have been worst affected by the pandemic and associated problems.
Faced with this situation, CASBA’s Ambassadors want to make a difference. They want to ensure that the charity can provide more crisis advocacy for citizens in need. By raising more money, we will also be able to put on more support groups and reach more isolated citizens, who have been made vulnerable by recent welfare and service provision cuts coupled with price increases.
The fundraising challenge will feature a number of led walks in some of Birmingham’s best-loved green spaces. These will be a great opportunity to create new friendships and boost the health and wellbeing of participants, as well as raising money for CASBA’s vital services.
It’s also a chance for anyone to get sponsored to walk, run, scoot or cycle 500 miles over the month as a family, or in a group of friends or colleagues.
Chair of CASBA Ambassadors, Martyn Spooner said: “I’m organising a walk around Cannon Hill Park for the Ambassadors and anyone else who wants to join us. We are really looking forward to counting all our steps, which will go towards the 500 miles we need to do.”
Welcoming the initiative, CASBA CEO Ginny Cullen added: “500 Miles is a great opportunity for anyone anywhere to get involved to help us support more people in crisis, and help people to get together by being active. So do join in on the led walks or like me via our JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/CASBA500miles
In this year of the Commonwealth Games here in Birmingham, what better time to boost your activity levels for a great local cause and give the gift of independence to more people in Birmingham.”
Full details of all the walks are available on our 500 miles page.

Fundraising efforts by staff from five branches of Lloyds bank have given a massive boost to CASBA. Senior Manager Jason Vale and Sukie Magee handed over a cheque for £2,320.01 to CASBA Ambassadors Mark Coppage and Martyn Spooner last week.
Demand for support from advocacy charities like ours is at an all-time high. We work with citizens with Learning Disabilities, who are one of the groups to have been worst affected by the pandemic and associated problems.
Faced with this situation, CASBA has asked local businesses to help them raise the money they need to ensure that the charity can provide more crisis advocacy for citizens in need.
By raising more money, we will also be able to put on more support groups and reach more isolated citizens, who have been made vulnerable by recent welfare and service provision cuts coupled with price increases.

Towards the end of last year, CASBA recruited three new Trustees. Here they introduce themselves and talk about their hopes for the charity.

Melina Tsui
How did you find out about CASBA? 
I was contacted on the Reach Volunteering website
 
What made you want to become a Trustee?
I admired the meaningful work that CASBA do and the lasting impact that CASBA has on service users. The focus that CASBA puts on equipping people with the ongoing skills they need as adults, really resonated with me. And I also thought my marketing strategy expertise could add a lot of value as well - I saw a need that I thought I could help fill. I grew even more interested as I met more people during my interviews. Everyone in the organisation is so genuine and invested in what they’re doing, and CASBA really and truly puts service users at the centre of everything they do. That’s something that made me feel even more strongly that this was the right fit for me.
 
How have your first few months been?
Great, already feel like I’m getting stuck in. Involved in a few different work streams already and I love that in my role, I can help steer the organisation forward.
 
What have you learned so far? 
Having come in from the corporate sector I’ve learned about how funding and grants work, as that’s new to me. I’ve also learned about the different amazing projects we are doing like Pregnancy to Parenthood as just one example. 
 
What are you looking forward to doing most as a Trustee?
1. Helping CASBA extend its reach, build its profile, find its voice as a meaningful brand and community leader.
2. Help it find a business model that’s the right fit, and grow it financially through additional revenue streams to ensure its longevity.

Lisa Tomlinson
How did you find out about CASBA?
The last CEO, Rob Legge, and I had worked together in a few capacities over the years, he let me know that CASBA were looking for a trustee with my background and I thought it would be an opportunity to use my skills to help a really great charity.
 
What made you want to become a Trustee?
 I was just coming to the end of four years as a school governor focused on SEN. I really enjoyed this role but was keen to help a smaller charity who might really benefit from HR and strategy support.
 
How have your first few months been?
It’s been great to be involved with CASBA and see the success of the Christmas campaign. I’m still getting to know how everything works so I’m hoping to be able to be more involved in the future. 
 
What have you learned so far?
It was interesting to see how many people in the community really support the work of CASBA and see the impact its service has on those who they support.
 
What are you looking forward to doing most as a Trustee?
Watching the charity develop and grow over time and see the impact it makes on the service users.

Gina Patel
How did you find out about CASBA?
I found out about CASBA Advocacy when I was looking at doing a voluntary placement working with people with disabilities. I started following their social media channels,  CASBA followed me  back, and the rest they say is history!

What made you want to become a Trustee?
I’ve worked with people with all kinds of disabilities for over 12 years in different capacities. I work for the NHS now but disability rights is my passion and in the past year, I’ve rediscovered how important my passion is to me and how much I really missed it.  I'm a young  person and there aren't many people my age who are a Trustee, I feel it is a honour to be a Trustee of a fantastic organisation!
 
How have your first few months been?
Being a young person with a disability myself, this is the first time I’m a Trustee so I’m learning along the way. In a nutshell, it has been VERY daunting but enjoyable!
 
What have you learned so far?
I’ve personally learnt about the work of CASBA and the difference they make to adults with learning disabilities
 
What are you looking forward to doing most as a Trustee?
Three simple words - Making a DIFFERENCE!

CASBA is delighted to have three such dynamic and committed Trustees on board and we all look forward to working with them.

CASBA has received a huge funding boost from Charities Aid Foundation to start the new year. The Northfield-based charity which provides advocacy and support for adults with Learning Disabilities across South Birmingham is delighted to announce a grant of over £70,000 has been awarded to help the organisation recover and rebuild from the impact of COVID19.

Newly appointed CEO of the charity, Ginny Cullen says this couldn’t have come at a better time:

“This is such welcome news for CASBA and all the citizens who rely on the work we do. To be able to go into 2022 with this financial support means we can deliver vital crisis advocacy and build the skills base of our staff and volunteers over the next 15 months. We will also be investing in other ways to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of all our activities.
This gives us a really solid foundation to continue to develop services in response to the needs of the citizens we work for.”

This funding means that CASBA will be able to employ a Crisis Advocacy Worker who can support citizens who are feeling at risk, or vulnerable. The charity has seen a rise in such situations recently, partly due to issues related to COVID19, but also due to safeguarding issues, the need for assistance dealing with Social Services, housing providers, medical professionals, or the police. Many citizens are also finding themselves in financial crises due to benefits issues and coping with changes which are poorly communicated to them.

In addition, CASBA will employ a development worker who can support the development of a Self-Advocacy Group. This will help citizens develop their knowledge and skills so they can speak up for people who have a Learning Disability. This group will also help CASBA to better understand the needs of citizens with Learning Disabilities when developing new activities.

The last two years have shown the importance of accessible online materials, so CASBA will also be investing in a new website that will be Easy Read with pictorial aids. This will improve the way in which they communicate with citizens who have a Learning Disability
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Charities Aid Foundation are also contributing to the general costs of employing key staff at CASBA. These people are essential to the day to day running of the charity and covering their wages will allow time for them to develop new income streams.
Ginny Cullen sums it up, saying: “In uncertain times, the charity is pleased to be able to face the future with the confidence to build on a third of a century working in South Birmingham. We are extremely grateful to Charities Aid Foundation for this.” ​

CASBA are delighted to announce that after a stringent selection process we have appointed a new CEO, who will be taking up the post in mid January.

Ginny Cullen impressed our staff, Ambassadors and Trustees in the interviews which took place last month and we can't wait for her to start. Our thanks must also go to interim Executive Manager, Rob Legge, who has held the fort over a very tricky 15 months and will be leaving us in an excellent position to move forward with funding secured for a number of new projects.

On her appointment, Ginny said:
"I’ve worked in the charity sector for the last ten years helping people get equal chances in life. I’m inspired by CASBA and the work the organisation does to ensure people can express their views, make their choices, secure their rights, and be valued as citizens. I am absolutely delighted to be joining as CASBA’s new CEO to play my part in shaping the charity’s future, building on recent successes and working to ensure CASBA becomes ever more sustainable. 
 
I’ve worked as a fundraiser and manager in national, regional, and local charities, the largest being a Birmingham charity with an income of £8million which I loved so much I stayed for nearly six years. It's great to be coming back to Birmingham. Before my career in the third sector, I worked in advertising, marketing, and journalism. I was a broadcast journalist for the BBC for 3 years working in local radio.
 
I am looking forward to working alongside the many passionate people who contribute to CASBA; Ambassadors, staff, volunteers, partners, and other stakeholders to empower people, change mindsets, and influence systems. I am excited to be taking up this role, and I can’t wait to get started in early 2022."

Getting politicians from all political parties to agree on anything is pretty hard, but we have managed it this year.
We have had messages of support from members of all the main political parties in Birmingham because they all believe that the work we do is vital for people in their communities.
​For the Conservative Party, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street gave us this message:

Northfield ward councillor Olly Armstrong knows our work very well and he gave us this message of support:

The Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Birmingham, Councillor Roger Harmer sent us this video message:

Although we haven't yet had a video message from Green Party councillor Julien Pritchard, he has been incredibly supportive over this year and indeed previous ones. His constituency is the place where CASBA was born, so he showed great interest in our National Lottery Heritage fund supported exhibition about Monyhull Hospital. He has also provided some very useful links for us to other community groups.

Whatever party you support, they all believe in the importance of CASBA's work, so please give what you can to our Christmas fundraising campaign. We want to help more people than ever next year to become more independent and able to live full lives as part of our community.  
​You can either Text ​CASBAXMAS to 70085 to donate £10 or click below to donate online.

Jackie Pountney was elected as Chair of CASBA at our last AGM. We wanted to find out more about her, as she leads the board of Trustees through a period of change.

What made you decide to become a Trustee at CASBA?
I have known CASBA for quite a few years through the charity that I used to work for. When I retired I decided that I wanted to volunteer with an organisation that supported people with learning disabilities, but I hadn’t got round to doing anything about it. Then by chance I bumped into one of the staff members, who said that CASBA was looking for Trustees. I came along to meet with the Chief Executive and that was that!

Is there anything that’s surprised you from what you’ve learnt since being involved with CASBA? 
Yes, I’ve been surprised at how adaptable people are!  The first Trustee meeting I went to was on the day of the first lockdown, and I don’t think anyone knew then how CASBA would be able to carry on doing its work. But in just a few weeks the Ambassadors, Staff and Trustees had learned to use Zoom and Whatsapp to keep in touch, and to hold meetings. So although people couldn’t meet face to face there was still a real sense of community and people looking out for each other.
 
 How are you feeling about being Chair of CASBA over the next year? 
It’s a real privilege to be Chair of an organisation that does such good work, and that has such an excellent reputation. Its also a huge responsibility, because CASBA is going through quite a lot of change at the moment. So far myself and fellow Trustees have been involved in recruiting a new Chief Executive, and three new Trustees. I think we have recruited skilled people who will be able to help us take CASBA forward. I’m also excited about the new projects that CASBA will be running in 2022, which I’m sure will make a real difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities. I’m also looking forward to working with everyone to make sure that the Ambassadors and other CASBA service users have even more of a say in what CASBA does and how it is run

What would your message be to anyone else thinking of volunteering for CASBA? 
I would say go for it! There are a number of ways in which you can volunteer so have a look and see if there is something that suits you, your skills and the amount of time you can offer. As well as being able to use your skills for CASBA, you will get to meet some lovely people, and will learn new things yourself along the way.  

Over the past year, it has been very difficult for CASBA to raise money in the usual ways due to the COVID restrictions. However, last Saturday I managed to play my part by doing some much needed fundraising for the organisation in an unexpected and new way for me.
My day job as Heritage Project Coordinator is to record people's stories and then tell these stories to the wider world to help more people to learn about different aspects of Learning Disability heritage in Birmingham. My first project was about Moneyhull Hospital and the transition to living in the community out of which CASBA was born. My current project is telling the story of how special schools have changed over the past fifty years since it became a legal right for everyone to get an education.
Outside of work, I like to write songs that tell interesting stories, too. At the start of the year, a friend approached me about doing a zoom gig with another musician. The gig would be free to "attend", but on a pay as you please basis, with my payments in the form of donations to CASBA. The access code to watch it was available on request from the organiser. 
I liked the idea, so set about rehearsing some acoustic versions of my songs. On the day, I sat in my living room in front of the computer. I had an audience of one (my wife) in the same room, but more than twenty people from across the UK and even one from the USA watching through the magic of the internet. 
Happily, people enjoyed my songs and felt motivated to donate money to CASBA, so we raised about £100. I would love to do it again and would encourage anyone else to use your talents, or organisational skills to do something similar. It could be a quiz, or a game, but if it's something people would normally pay to go and do on a night out, why not use it as a way to fundraise for a brilliant cause like CASBA!
Thanks to artist Ben Jones, who did the sketch of me playing during the gig (see above) and to Grant Sharkey, the other musician who played. Big thanks also to Shaz Rahman, who organised and compered the gig.  

On 4th April, we held a celebration of the life of our former Executive Manager, Ruth Stebbens.
It was an emotional day, when our staff, volunteers and everyone whose life was touched by Ruth's work were able to come together and remember her amazing achievements. Candles were lit for Ruth at the end of the church service before we came back to the Pastoral centre and the beautifully decorated hall. No photos were taken on the day, as it was a very personal time for remembering Ruth.
We had planned to plant a rhododendron (see photo above) in her memory on the day, but the weather was awful and as funny as Ruth would have found it to see us all getting drenched while we tried to plant it out, we decided to postpone the planting until a sunnier day.

Everyone was encouraged to take home sweet pea plants to grow in her memory and there was also art and poetry in tribute to Ruth. There was also a collection and Ruth's family have expressed their thanks for the generosity of colleagues, Trustees, friends and everyone else who donated.
Our trainers are still busy, with the first specially adapted Freedom Project course for women with Learning Disabilities completed and the second "I'm Worth It" course underway. We are accepting new referrals onto future courses to be run later in the year, so please contact us if you know someone who would benefit. Details of the courses can be found here.

On Saturday 16 March, Roger Hackley, received a 2019 Community Champion award at Villa Park on behalf of his late partner Ruth Stebbens, our former Executive Manager.

He said that it was a great honour to receive it on Ruth's behalf and he felt proud of her, but that she should have been there to get the award herself.

The award is run by the Aston Villa Foundation as part of the Supporting Our Own initiative, which is the club’s commitment to its local community and Ruth's recognition was well deserved.
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Ruth was dedicated to improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the South Birmingham area. The respect she was held in could be clearly seen, with over a hundred people attending her funeral last month.