Chair’s Report
2004-5 has certainly been a turbulent year for Survive.
The end of our Community Fund grant (paying for the counselling service) and resulting decisions
that we have had to make have set Survive on a new track, and I look forward to seeing our services
and organisation develop over the next year.
This year has been a difficult one for Survive both financially
and organisationally. The loss of two project managers in one year, along with funding constraints,
has forced Survive to take a close look at the services we are providing and make changes to ensure
that what we provide is offered ethically, professionally, and in the best interests of all service
users. Unfortunately this has meant several organisational changes that have inevitably affected
people using our services, particularly around the closure of the counselling service which was
closed slightly prematurely, in December 2004 rather than March 2005. While I deeply regret the
pain caused to service users by the closure of this service, I also feel that overall the best
decision was made in the circumstances.
The closure of the counselling service along with uncertainty
around whether Survive would exist in to 2005-6 have made us focus on the services we continue
to offer, and on how we can develop as an organisation ethically and responsibly. Having now
secured funding until March 2006, Survive is looking forward to re-stabilising after such a difficult
time. I feel excited and positive about the future and I look forward to continuing to provide
survivors throughout York and North Yorkshire with valuable support.
I’d like to thank Survive volunteers, trustees, and staff - present
and past - for their invaluable contributions to the organisation, and to offer my admiration to our
service users who continue to remind us of the importance of the services we offer. I look forward to
continuing my work as Chair in the forthcoming year.
Jane Reed