CEO Update – Celebrating 50 Years and Looking to the Future

Michelle Cook marks 50 years of life possibilities and a bright, inclusive future.

Hello everyone,

Happy Birthday to us… Acorn Village turned the grand age of 50 this year!  And what a momentous occasion it is, certainly a significant milestone that we want to celebrate.  Having worked for the organisation for over 20 years I feel privileged and proud to have been part of almost half of this charity’s incredible life!

It was actually over 50 years ago that the idea about creating Acorn Village charity was born by a group of parents who simply wanted better for their children. They couldn’t find what they wanted in a care setting for their loved ones and all had varying experiences of the system and the challenges it brought. So if they couldn’t find it, they decided to create it! Can you imagine the grit and determination this must have taken and then a few years later after relentless efforts to raise money and spread awareness of the vision, to see this come to fruition by opening the Acorn Village site and welcoming the first group of people to live here.

So much has changed around us in the last half century and this can feel fast paced and a little overwhelming at times. But when you take a moment to think, you realise that actually so much at its core remains the same here.

When I think about why Acorn begun and what parents and supporters strived for in 1975, much remains the same – great dedicated staff who care and love and want to make a difference.  Thousands of staff over 50 years working in really complex and difficult situations at time, giving unwavering support and being adaptable and resilient. Nothing that we do can happen without them.

Volunteers that do all of those things and for free, who bring their knowledge and expertise and precious time to help us to achieve those main aims. 

Our families, friends and supporters, believing in the vision, trusting us with your family members, being patient with changes needed and helping us raise that hard earned cash to keep developing and improving.

The same challenges to overcome financial deficits and needing to lobby locally and nationally to fly the flag for social care and ensure that it is funded effectively so we can continue the work we feel so passionately about.

And of course much like 1975, we need people to live here and I am incredibly grateful to work with a group of humbling, funny, creative people who know their mind and absolutely want to share it. We have spent 50 years empowering people to live the life that they want and I see that every day in the achievements that are made here – whether big or small they are all meaningful and support those people living here to live the life they choose.  The motto that we have of Life is for Living is never more apparent than during these times.

So what next, what does the next 50 years look like? How do we continue to capture everything that was strived for when Acorn was just an idea, the vison of parents desperate for a better life for their kids. And in essence that’s what it all comes down to, how do we maintain meaningful, happy independent and fulfilling lives for people living with us and now also those people visiting our other services.

I’d like to think the core of everything we do and how it came to be will continue to influence our development, our decision making and the ethos that we work hard to maintain.  We know how under pressure the social care industry is and I don’t expect this to change imminently so we work hard at raising our charity mission and gaining more supporters and champions who want to help us to continue what we are doing. 

We continue to prioritise our most important asset, our staffing teams, to value them and to recognise the complexities of the roles, the toll it can take on wellbeing and doing everything we can to be an supportive, compassionate and inclusive employer.

We will continue to expand and develop our day services, a vibrant, creative and special place that consistently impresses me with the talent that those living with and working with us demonstrate every day.

We want to welcome more people to use and enjoy our walled garden café, to buy from our donated good services, to undertake training with whether you are getting a much wanted bargain, a vital set of skills or enjoying a delicious lunch, this is all much needed funds going back into the charity and helping us to continue our work.

And among everything, most importantly we continue to listen to, support, empower and create a voice for adults with learning disabilities, living with us.  Keeping up our promises of a place to call home where people come first not their disability and that life is truly for living.

I often get told that Acorn has a feeling, one that is difficult to describe but its noticeable from when you visit here for the first time.  If I could bottle that feeling, it would be in high demand because it represents the joy and positivity that was created all of those years ago. I believe that because we were not built on ego, or for financial gain but for love and dedication and determination to make things better, this care and compassion runs through everything we do and I am hugely proud to be part of this legacy.

If you are reading this, then you are probably also part of our part of the legacy and if you’re new to us then hopefully you will be part of the future.  We look forward to meeting our existing and new friends and want to thank you all for your ongoing support for Acorn Village.

With warm wishes,

Michelle Cook
Chief Executive Officer, Acorn Village