TENANT CONFERENCE 2010 - THE SEQUEL9th June 2010
This was the fourth Tenants’ Conference that Trust has held and it took place at the Inchyra Grange Hotel, Grangemouth. Once again it was a great success with an exciting programme of activities.
The Conference was once again opened by the Chair of the Organisation, David Blair, who welcomed everyone and talked about the changes ahead for the Organisation. Following this Amanda Christie gave the group an interesting insight into the work of the Care Commission, how tenants can get involved in the inspection process and the grading given to the Organisation.
Tenants had the choice of attending one of three workshops in the morning and the afternoon, which enabled everyone to attend two out of the three workshops. Our own Laura Sandilands ran a very active workshop using a Wii games console, which was borrowed from Dunrobin Gardens who had purchased this from some grant funding they received last year. The Wii can be used to play games such as bowling or tennis from the comfort of a seat in your own home or in the development lounge as a social activity. There is some compelling evidence that supports this as a very valuable activity for older people in that it helps sustain both physical and mental wellbeing.
The second workshop was led by Vivien Riddell, a Trainee Solicitor with Aitken Nairn. Vivien gave people good practical information on writing your Will and information on Powers of Attorney. This was a very practical yet sensitive workshop, but valued by the participants who took part in this.
The third workshop was led by Steve Joyce, who works with Deaf Blind Scotland, and is himself deaf. He was such an inspiration in that, despite all the odds, he is able to work and communicate with people. Steve also raised people’s awareness of the issues faced by deaf-blind people in Scotland and how we the public can help sufferers.
