This month at Cotswold Friends we experienced our first AGM using the wonder of the web and were delighted to see so many familiar faces joining us for the presentations. CEO Amanda Howard and Chairman Geoff Benn both made their reports to the meeting, as well as undertaking the formal resolutions. Key achievements for the 2019/2020 year included supporting over 1,000 people each week in the initial phase of the lockdown and adapting charity services to be COVID-secure. Cotswold Friends provided 13,500 Community Transport journeys (a 29% growth), almost 1,500 carer respite breaks and over 6,600 Befriending visits. Our Community Activities programme supported over 5,600 attendances to various clubs.

We were also delighted to announce five year and ten year long service awards for some of our volunteers - a fantastic achievement. Awards and certificates were delivered in a socially distanced manner across the following days. Carolyn Roberts, one of our volunteer drivers told us, “Thank you all for my 5-year long service award, delivered to me at home today. I was delighted and flattered. I really enjoy my role as a volunteer driver, and look forward to continuing to help out, especially in this difficult time. I am volunteering in memory of my mother, who lived to the ripe old age of 93 - alone at home, independent to the end, in a rural area in Wales with little in the way of accessible public transport - and no services like Cotswold Friends to help her manage daily life when she finally decided to stop driving. Thank you for recognising my little contribution.”

The whole of the AGM proceedings are available to watch via the film at the top of this page. The Cotswold Friends Annual Report 2019/2020 can be found in full on the side menu of the About Us page.