In Your Shoes - Neil Campbell

Monday

Monday was the start of Carers Week, a UK-wide awareness campaign that recognises the vital contribution unpaid carers make to families and communities. This year’s theme was “Caring about equality”.

All too often, caring for a friend or family member with a long-term illness, disability, mental health condition or addiction comes at a significant personal cost for the carer.

Carers can experience disadvantage & inequalities in many areas of their lives, such as financial hardship because of having to give up paid work to care for someone. Or it could be the challenges many young carers face when it comes to accessing education and employment opportunities. And carers of all ages are at a greater risk of isolation, and more likely to experience poor physical and mental health.

I kicked off Carers Week with a short video, calling for a fairer society where carers are recognised, supported and valued.

In the afternoon I turned my attention to focusing on regular monthly admin tasks and reports, as well as drafting funding applications due for submission later in the month.

In the evening, my wife, daughter and I went to the cinema to see the live action version of How to Train Your Dragon - which was good fun

Tuesday

My mornings usually start early in the gym and today included my first Cyclone Class, which certainly woke me up, and energised me for the day ahead.

The day itself was spent leading a development workshop with our Trustees, reflecting on how our strategic plan is progressing and looking ahead to the future by considering possible risks and opportunities that could be encountered in the year ahead.

It is a challenging time for charities & third sector organisations, and like so many we’re experiencing increased demand for our services, while some of our core funding has been reduced. As a result, already this year we have had to take painful decisions including a small number of staff redundancies to achieve a balanced budget and sustain services.

The workshop was followed by a short meeting to finalise arrangements for a Civic Reception being held the next day.

In the evening I spent some time doing some work for Faith in Community Dundee and RockSolid, two local charities I am involved with as a Trustee.

Wednesday

The morning included a meeting reviewing our Funding and Monitoring & Evaluation processes with our outgoing Monitoring Officer. We have recently started using PowerBi to produce reports from our CRM system CharityLog which allows us to more closely track service demands and trends.

In the afternoon, I made my way to the City Chambers for a Civic Reception hosted by the Lord Provost Bill Campbell, recognising the work of Dundee Carers Centre over 35+ years.

The event was a great celebration shared by people accessing our services, staff, volunteers and supporters. Some carers spoke powerfully about their experiences and the difference the centre had made to their lives.

During the reception, we were privileged to be presented with the Excellence for Carers Award by the Carers Trust, a quality standard award that highlighted the passion, dedication and commitment of our staff and volunteers to provide the very best support for carers.

I wrapped up the night with a short speech thanking all who continue to support our work, highlighting our current challenges, and celebrating the valued work of the carers centre across Dundee.

Once home, it was straight back out the door again to drop off my daughter at Army Cadets.

Thursday

Thursday started with a 1:1 with our Volunteer Coordinator, which provided us an opportunity to reflect together on the success of the recent Volunteer Week and an event they had been leading on, as well as agreeing priorities for the summer period.

In the afternoon I visited Waterstones with a supporter of the centre to discuss a book he is publishing in the Autumn, as he has very kindly decided that all proceeds will be donated to support our work.

“Wrighting Wrongs” is a fascinating story of a little known Dundee Dynasty. The book celebrates the lives of famous social reformer Frances Wright and her family in Dundee and the USA from the 1720s –1880s. 

In the evening, I attended our Young Carers Voice group to thank them (with pizza!) for all the work they do raising awareness and supporting young carers across the city throughout the year. We reflected together on highlights and achievements, including a recent visit to the Scottish Parliament, and planned activities for the year ahead.

Friday

In the morning the Senior Management Team met for our monthly Team Meeting. The meetings provide an important opportunity to update on work across the centre, focus on operational matters, and plan strategically for upcoming projects.

The afternoon was spent catching up on admin and preparing for some of next week's meetings.

The week ended with a Race Night Fundraiser, held at Downfield FC Function Suite, part of our "Because We Care" campaign. It was a great night of fun and raised a good amount for the work of the centre.

Weekend

It was a relaxing start to the weekend with a Saturday morning swim followed by a sauna. The afternoon, by contrast, was not. My wife, Roxanne, is the Provost of Dundee's St Paul's Cathedral, and thunderstorms had brought a deluge of rain that caused a church corridor to completely flood. With a big event taking place that evening, I spent much of the afternoon helping with the cleanup.

Sunday, was Father's Day and I woke to a card, bottle of Jura whisky and box of After Eights from my daughter - which were a lovely surprise. After attending church in the morning, we had a nice walk in the sun to Broughty Ferry and finished the week by enjoying a meal at my favourite restaurant, The Bruach.