Every year, we hold an AGM which offers a chance to bring all the wonderful people who make Future Living Hertford what it is together. Although we are a small operational team, there are many people behind the scenes who work hard to keep Future Living running smoothly.
These people include our board of trustees, our volunteers and of course our funders and supporters. Together we form strong foundations which help our clients to flourish with the help of our services.
Opening speeches
Emma Fleming, CEO – who was appointed last August following Sandra’s retirement – welcomed everyone, following an informative speech from our Patron, The Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Robert Voss. The Lord Lieutenant included in his speech how domestic abuse had affected a close male friend and having heard his story, his eyes were well and truly opened to the fact that this really can happen to anyone.
In her speech. Emma spoke of her honour in filling the prestigious role of CEO and how the past 10 months had been a learning curve for all the right reasons! Emma proposed the plans for the five year strategy, which looks to expand and develop the charity further, with the bold mission – to make domestic abuse a thing of the past.
Our Clients
Our clients are of course at the heart of everything we do, so we were delighted to welcome some of them to this year’s AGM. One of our clients, who has completed the Wise Guys programme as well as counselling spoke openly about his experiences of our services and how they have helped him to grow in confidence and rebuild his future. It was truly humbling and inspiring to witness our client speak so candidly.
Our special guests
Other guests included local MP and newly appointed Trustee, Josh Dean, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, Jonathan Ash-Edwards. Jonathan presented a Hertfordshire Police officer with one of our new awards for her dedication to supporting victims of domestic abuse with her role as a frontline officer.
It was the first time awards have been given at our AGM. Emma recognised how many individuals go above and beyond for Future Living and felt it would be apt to acknowledge this.
Other awards presented included Community Champion, which was proudly received by one of our Clients Jo Painter and Volunteer of the year, going to Claire Kneller who is currently completing her counselling placement with us. Our Chair Suzy Harvey, who also gave an enlightening speech presented the awards alongside Emma.
Suzy Harvey – Chair of Future Living
Food from Nourish Cafe
Guests were treated to an array of food, courtesy of Nourish, Future Living’s on-site cafe. Heidi, who runs the cafe and makes all the food from scratch made beautiful salads and wraps, packed with flavour as well as some sweet treats, which included her infamous ‘Snickers’ bars (much more healthy than the real thing but just as tasty!)
It’s been a very busy but very productive time for the charity and we are excited to look forward to the remainder of this year as we continue to welcome more clients through our doors. A poignant reminder that, sadly, we are needed now more than ever.
Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us, it was a pleasure to see so many faces – we hope to see you again next year!
Get involved or find out more
To find out more about how you can support Future Living Hertford, or for more information about our services, visit our website: futurelivinghertford.co.uk or email us at: [email protected]
