Annual General Meeting | Celebration Service |
Stakeholders Event | Residents Panel |
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Annual General Meeting Knowing that we would be celebrating our 40th Anniversary in 2009, all those organising this year’s Annual General Meeting knew they had to pull something extraordinary out of the hat…and we weren’t disappointed!

The theme of the night was in fact, a celebration of the past 4 decades, and attendees were treated to a tunnel walkway of pictures of events that had occurred over that period of time. Each event related to a specific year and there was much reminiscing on the night from the audience. There were also some tables with memorabilia from the late 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s thanks to the Association’s very generous staff who hunted high and low for objects to include! (Who says hording is a bad thing?!)

Some of the Association’s ex-residents shared their experiences from the times that they had been accommodated with Forum. Interviewed by Forum’s very own Michael Parkinson (Peter Brandrick), each of the ex-residents had a fascinating story to tell. The conversations were captivating as each of them told how Forum had been there to support them when they most needed it and most importantly, how they had all gone on to make a success of their lives.

Interspersed between interviews, our very own Resident Representative, Tony Fitzgerald, performed on stage with a song that he had written especially for the occasion and entitled ‘Genuine’. This was well received by Tony’s legion of adoring fans in the audience…….watch out for the CD release!

A great night was had by everyone, and all the hard work really paid off!

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Celebration Service What an amazing night?!  We continued our 40th Anniversary Celebrations on Tuesday 10th March at St. Catherine’s Church, Tranmere.

The who’s who of Wirral Royalty joined us as we sang praises, gave thanks, watched amazing images and were truly humbled by the simple, yet oh so beautiful message of the evening...God’s protection and guidance over Forum Housing Association from its inception to present day.

Right from the word go everyone knew they were in for a very special experience.  As the guests started to arrive, the atmosphere heightened and expectation dripped from the rafters!  The evening opened with a beautiful rendition of ‘Everything I do, I do it for You’ by Kathryn Jenkins, the room fell silent as the music left everyone breathless.

The Bishop of Birkenhead, the Right Reverend Bishop Keith, gave a powerful, heartfelt message of hope and forgiveness that penetrated the hardest of hearts.  A dramatic reading adapted from Psalm 91 by our very own Alison Jones, was then read by Board Member Rob Oliver and staff member Clare Otterson.  The  reverence expressed by both Mr Oliver and Clare left us all in no doubt what the Celebration Service was ultimately all about...the Divine protection and guidance Forum has received over the past forty years in bringing the Christian message of love and hope to broken young people right in our midst.

The worship throughout the evening was led by Mark Saunders and provided by an incredibly talented local Christian Group called Bloodline.  The dedication and hours of practice paid off, as the worship on that Tuesday night was truly incredible!  Zoe LeCozannet joined with team for a solo of ‘Ashes to Beauty’ during the evening’s service, and by the time the last note was sung, and the final image hung in the air, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house! 

Overall, the Celebration Service was a triumphal success!  And only whetted the appetite for the next glorious event on Forum’s calendar!

(For further information regarding the Christian band Bloodline please visit www.myspace.com/bloodlines5

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Stakeholders Event WE’VE PASSED!’  ‘Forum Housing Association have passed their M.O.T. to mark their 40th Anniversary!’ (Mark Mitchell, Mitchell Motors) ‘ Enthusiastic!’ ‘Exciting!’ ‘Energetic!’ (And that’s just what the staff thought!)

Forum got off to a great start this year by passing their own self-imposed M.O.T. at their February Stakeholders event. Held at Mitchell Motors in Cheshire Oaks, the environment was superb and set the scene for the night. A massive Thank You to Mark and the Team, whose generosity and excellent service throughout made the night all the more memorable.

Stakeholders who continue to work closely with Forum enjoyed a great night of strengthening already strong relationships and looking at how we can continue to forge ahead...together.
‘Everything that’s been done has been done very well, but we need to keep going forward.’ 
(Dave Scregg, Community Fire Safety Team)

Forum’s Stakeholders Events have a fantastic reputation in that they surprise and challenge the attendees, and this year was no different! Really, how many other ‘useful’ uses are there for a car door handle?! You’d be surprised...or not...

When asked if the night was what he expected Terry Hall of Wirral Youth Service replied, ‘No, but then again, probably yes as I’ve come to expect the unexpected with Forum!’

Meeting together from many different departments and organisations, people with various positions within their respective companies and the community, but all with the same goals...to see young, homeless people within the Region set free from the past to run into a future full of hope and opportunity, and to ensure that the glorious potential brimming within each young person is realised.

As The Right Reverend Bishop Keith of Birkenhead so rightly expressed at the end of the evening,

‘This Association is determined to explore new ways of working, improving its performance and ensuring that young people remain our highest and most precious resource. It is improving their lives that brings us here tonight.’  

This isn’t building bricks and mortar, this is building relationships...building dreams...building futures.

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Resident's Panel The Project Reps are democratically voted in by their peers at their Projects through an election process which forms the Residents' Panel. They meet once a month to proactively work on bid applications, tackle issues across the Association, undertake consultation internally and externally, but also have the opportunity to be trained up and most importantly have fun!

The Residents' Panel have influenced the following:-

• Initiation of Fire Safety Awareness Courses

• The Needs and Support Planning Policy

• A revised Residents' Visitors Policy

• The re-painting of Wirral Speak Ezy and ICT suite

• A democratic voting procedure to recruit Project Reps

• The way Wirral Borough Council delivers their Homelessness Service

We have also been part of a number of best practise visits, including meetings and seminars with various Housing Associations and Providers across the country. Examples of these organisations are, Simon Community in Northern Ireland, St Basils in Birmingham, Manchester Methodist Housing Association and many others such as Age Concern, Supporting People, the Audit Commission and the Foyer Federation.

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