Annual General Meeting 2003
Members of Depression Alliance gathered at the Headquarters of the Mothers Union in London on July 5 for the charity's Annual General Meeting. It was the first to be held since it became a Company Limited by Guarantee earlier this year.
Anne Brookes the Depression Alliance Chair led the meeting. The reports spoke of a positive vibrant charity that was giving more help to increasing numbers of people. The teams in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh have worked very hard to build a stronger, more focussed and responsive organisation. Services remained very popular and A Single Step had been re-launched in a different format to meet the changing needs of the charity. The website had grown from an average of 6500 individual visits a week at the start of the year to an incredible 20,000 a week at the end of the year. The Communications section had expanded during the year, making more resource material available to enquirers and dealing with a growing number of media consultations. Financially the charity ended the year with a small surplus. However, despite fundraising in the voluntary sector being highly competitive and mental illness not a popular cause, our drive to raise funds for campaigning and to support the services remains a high priority.
The rest of the morning was given to a brilliant lecture by Dr Tim Cantopher, the Medical Director of the Priory Hospital, Sturt. His theme, based on his recently published book of the same title was Depressive Illness, the Curse of the Strong. His hypothesis went clean against the beliefs of many depressed people who think that their illness is a sign of weakness. He argued that far from being a sign of weakness, depression was often associated with strong caring people who were trying to over-achieve and to care too much - he compared it to a fuse in an electrical circuit, a means of defence against excessive and damaging strain. He then outlined ways by which those affected could cope with their problems and come through them.
Lunch was provided, then members spent the afternoon in discussion groups. It was good to welcome Danny Jackson and Shawn Martin on board as Trustees. We still have six vacancies on the trustee board and are actively looking for appropriately qualified people to join us - please contact Anne or Alison if you would like to know more.
The day was expertly organised by Julia Cosby at one of the best venues that we have ever used. The atmosphere was optimistic and positive about the future. Almost more important it was one of friendship, mutual support and compassion; for all its professionalism DA has not lost the personal touch that has always been at its heart.
If you would like to receive a copy of the Annual Report and accounts presented to the AGM, please send a cheque or postal order for £2.00 payable to Depression Alliance, to: Depression Alliance, 35 Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7JB.
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Depression Alliance depends on donations to continue its vital work. To show your support please CLICK HERE to Donate using our secure donation page.
Depression Alliance depends on donations to continue its vital work. To show your support please CLICK HERE to Donate using our secure donation page.