Suffolk Woman Becomes ‘2010 Regional Champion’ for People with Learning Disabilities & Backs National Survey Results

  • Hilda becomes ‘2010 Regional Champion’ for people with learning disabilities in the East of England
 

Inspirational Suffolk woman Hilda Turner has today become a ‘2010 Regional Champion’ for people with learning disabilities in the East of England. Hilda backed the results of a recent national survey and called on the Government and Local Authorities to do more to combat stigma and discrimination against people with learning disabilities.

December 2009

Hilda’s role, which has been created by Craegmoor – the leading independent provider of support for people with learning disabilities, mental health illnesses and older people – follows her significant contribution to the company’s ‘Your Voice’ initiative. Your Voice is a nationwide scheme to encourage individuals who use Craegmoor services to give their views on the support that they receive. It enables Craegmoor to ask people their opinions, listen to their responses and act on their advice.

A Regional Champion is an honorary role, created in recognition of a person’s contribution to speaking up on issues of importance to those using Craegmoor services in a given region. The Regional Champions will be able to act as public-facing advocates for those who use Craegmoor services in that region, as Craegmoor believes that the voice of those who use its services is more important that any corporate voice.

The Regional Champions have been invited to take up their positions because of their pre-existing authority and mandate as Your Voice representatives to speak publicly for those they represent. Hilda has for some time represented thousands of people at a national level as an advocate within Craegmoor and now has been asked to be an external facing champion for the East of England. Hilda plays an important role in articulating the concerns and priorities to Craegmoor’s Senior Management Team, including CEO, Ted Smith, on policy and other management decisions including staff recruitment. Alongside her work on ‘Your Voice’, Hilda has also been working with the Ipswich Citizen Advocacy Group ‘ACE’ (Advocacy Can Empower) and last year wrote a book detailing her experiences.

Hilda Turner said:

" I have faced a lot of stigma and discrimination in my life and think I that educating people is really important if this is to stop. I hope that as a Regional Champion I play some role in doing that.

" People with disabilities should not be ‘left on the shelf’ or forgotten – we all have so much to offer society and can achieve amazing things with the right support and encouragement ."

In conjunction with her appointment as 2010 Regional Champion, Hilda also gave her backing to the findings of a national survey conducted at the Learning Disability Today Conference on Wednesday 25th November which saw 92% of people agree that the Government and Local Authorities need to do more to combat the stigma and discrimination often associated with having a learning disability.

Christine Cameron, Craegmoor’s Chief Operating Officer said:

" At Craegmoor, we are committed to encouraging people to have control over their own lives and belief in their abilities, offering as much or as little support as they decide.

" We are thrilled that Hilda has become our 2010 Regional Champion for the East of England and hope that this will support her to further inspire people and educate the public ."

Notes for Editors

For further information please contact the Craegmoor Press Office on: 01905 459 813

  • Craegmoor is one of the leading independent providers of specialist support in the UK with a turnover of approximately £170m and employs over 6,500 people.
  • It has a portfolio comprising specialist and nursing residential support, mental health hospitals, specialist adult colleges and supported living schemes with over 4,700 beds across 234 homes.
  • The wide range of services offered by Craegmoor include: Specialist support for adults with learning disabilities and mental health illnesses, Nursing and residential support for older people and Independent Hospitals
  • Craegmoor has 2,229 Specialist beds including 143 beds in three colleges.
  • Craegmoor has currently 2,242 Older People beds and 237 beds in the company’s Independent Hospitals.
  • Working closely with local authorities, Primary Care Trusts and NHS Trusts, Craegmoor is committed to building partnerships focused on constant service improvements which meet the needs of individual people and which are in line with regulatory requirements and best practice.