The Foundation Trust team was at the Grange Interlink Centre today, attending the Women’s Environment Event. This was attended by around 100 local women, who heard presentations from the Council, Police and a community group which has been making bird tables and planters.

Lots of the women present were interested in how they could have more say over local NHS services through becoming members of the Foundation Trust. Brendan Fatchett, Head of Corporate Affairs said, “Foundation Trust status will give communities a voice at the highest level of the Trust. If people sign up to become members, they are not only showing that they support local services, but also that they want to shape the future of local healthcare.”

Over 200 new members of the Foundation Trust were signed up last night at Bradford City’s match with Rotherham. Fans were keen to become members of the Trust, and to be entered into the competition to win VIP tickets to the Bank Holiday Monday match against Chesterfield.

If you want to join the Trust, and enter the competition, click here.

The event at Bradford City continues the work between ourselves and the football club. Stuart McCall signed up as the first member of the Trust, lending his backing to the campaign. Season ticket holders will shortly be receiving membership forms through the post.

Brendan Fatchett, Head of Corporate Affairs at Bradford District Care Trust said, “We are really pleased with the response from fans and the football club. We’ll be at events across Bradford, Airedale and Craven over the next year, and we hope to get the same result.”

Volunteers from accross the Trust will be at tomorrow evening’s match between Bradford City and Rotherham to sign members up to the Foundation Trust. Everyone who signs up on the night will be entered into a free prize draw to win a pair of VIP tickets for the Chesterfield game on the 24th March. These include a meal, tea, coffee and a talk from a former player.

If want a chance of winning these tickets, but can’t make tomorrow’s match, then follow this special link.

Over 250 people attended three stakeholder events to have their say in the future of our Trust, as we move towards Foundation Trust status. Service users, carers, members of voluntary sector organisations and staff all came to the events, which were held in Bradford, Keighley and Skipton. They saw stalls demonstrating some of the excellent work being done in the District, as well as top entertainment from poetry reading to live music!

Three workshops were also held to get feedback about a number of issues, including whether service users and carers should have their own governors on the Board, and how we should get voluntary sector organisations well integrated into the new structures.

The message that came through loud and clear was that people felt there should be a separate set of governors specifically for service users and carers. People were more divided on what should be the minimum age for membership, with some people feeling it should be 12, and others that it should be 16. Lots of ideas were also suggested about involving the voluntary sector. All these will be built in to the formal public consultation document.