LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER

Brexit! Devolution! Public Spending Cuts! Privatisation of Government Services!

Each of these have changed the face of what it is like to be a third sector organisation in St Helens today. Some of these changes have been for the better, some for the worse but all have made for a very uncertain time for those who have devoted their lives to assisting others.

Marie Rimmer, MP for St Helens South and Whiston, invites you to a discussion with her and sector leaders about the future of St Helens and the role that Community Organisations will play within it.

Agenda

09.30- Registration and Coffee

09.45- Welcome from Marie Rimmer MP

10.00- Event Speakers (10-12 minute speeches)

Sally Yeoman- The Future of the Third Sector in St Helens
Sarah Bullock- The Role the Third Sector will play in providing public services in future
Geoffrey Appleton- Challenges and Opportunities for Health in St Helens
Kath Boullen- How St Helens Chamber can assist Community Groups
Karl Pearce- Help at the Heart of the Community

11.00- Table Discussions

11.30- Question Time- Panel of 5 - Marie to Chair

This is a chance for Table Discussions to feedback and for Key Speakers to respond

12.00- MPs Questions

12.20- Thanks from Marie

12.30- Lunch

13.30- End

Biography of Event Speakers

Marie Rimmer- MP for St Helens South and Whiston

Marie is St Helens born and bred. Having grown up in a working class family in the Gerrards Bridge area of St Helens, she went to local schools and then went to work at Pilkingtons where she worked for most of her adult life. Marie served on St Helens Council for over thirty years including nearly 20 years as leader of the council. She was elected as the MP for St Helens South and Whiston in 2015 and now serves on the Justice Select Committee. Since being elected to Parliament, she has championed a variety of causes ranging from Autism Support to Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and stood up for Domestic Abuse survivors, those fleeing atrocities in Syria and those who have died after having been declared ‘Fit for Work’.

Sally Yeoman- Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action

Sally has been chief executive of Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action since 2006 - in this role has led work in the refresh of the local Compact, participated in the IDEA and IVAR facilitated Partnership Improvement Programme for St Helens and led the voluntary sector part of the action plan. She also worked as Non-Executive Director of Bridgewater Community NHS Trust since 2012, and previously worked as a Chief Officer at both St Helens CVS and Voluntary Action Epping Forest. She has been a trustee of Community Foundation for Merseyside since 2008 and as such is jointly responsible for providing the strategic leadership for the Foundation.

Sarah Bullock- St Helens Council Assistant Director for Vision and Change

Sarah has also worked as Deputy Director of Commissioning at NHS Bury CCG, Integrated Transformation and Commissioning Manger at St Helens Clinical Commissioning Group/St Helens Council, and Transformation and Commissioning Manager at St Helens Council. St Helens council recognises that the challenges of the external environment are going to necessitate fundamental change. The council intends to both embrace and commit to change for the benefit of the community and its employees - as such, the council has developed a vision for the change. The Vision and Change team work closely with the Council's Strategic Directors to support the redesign of services and aim to realise the anticipated financial efficiencies by 2020/

Geoffrey Appleton- St Helens CCG

Geoffrey also Chairs the Safeguarding Adults Board in Cheshire West and Chester and was, until recently, a Chair for the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Fitness to Practice Panel which he did for 3 years.  Geoffrey is also a Governor and Deputy Chair at Cowley International College and a Foundation Trustee of Liverpool Cathedral. In his spare time he enjoys travelling and cooking. Before taking early retirement in early 2010 Geoffrey was the Area Director for HM Courts Service in Cheshire and Merseyside. Following retirement Geoffrey has worked as a non-executive director in the NHS serving as Vice Chair of Liverpool Heart and Chest NHS Foundation Trust. He was previously a non-executive director of St Helens PCT.

Kath Boullen- St Helens Chamber

Kath has been Chief Executive of St Helens Chamber since September 1998 and has worked at the Chamber for 22 years. She is a member of both the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and the Local Monitoring Committee for the North West European Programme and the Liverpool City Region Employment & Skills Board. Kath was awarded an MBE in Queen's Birthday Honours List 2013. Prior to joining the Chamber, Kath worked for Government Departments at area, regional and Head Office level on a range of training and enterprise initiatives. St Helens Chamber has won six national British Chambers of Commerce awards over the last five years and has the highest membership rate in the country.

Karl Pearce- St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau

Karl has experience working in the voluntary, public and private sector.  He started his career working in a local voluntary organisation as a benefits adviser and then worked for the Local Authority in the same position for almost 2 years, before joining one of the largest Solicitors practices in the North West as a Legal Executive.  He commenced employment as the Welfare Benefits/Money Advice Supervisor over 16 years ago, and since has held other roles including Operations Manager, Deputy Chief Executive and now the Chief Officer.  During his employment with Citizens Advice he has gained both a Foundation Degree and a B.A. (hons) degree in Business and Management.  Karl is also a director of the newly formed St Helens Third Sector Consortia.