Life continues at full pace in the PTC. After a useful visit to Castlebrae last week I have been briefly back in Harrogate this week to catch up on some of the office work that is a fundamental part of ensuring that both Centres run smoothly and effectively.
It is reassuring to see that both Centres are almost completely full at the moment with both serving and retired officers in residence benefitting from our excellent facilities, and there is no doubt that there is a very different atmosphere when both Centres are packed, and speaking from the perspective from the Staff, this is exactly how we like it, as it means that there is a real buzz about the place, and a vibrancy that both Patients and Staff feed off. This week I travelled down to Arundel in West Sussex to attend the Gurney Fund Trustees Meeting as a guest, and their AGM on Thursday. The Gurney Fund is where it all started for the PTC courtesy of our founder Catherine Gurney, but in this case I am looking to establish a closer working relationship between the Gurney Fund and St George’s Police Children Trust, and look at how we can work better together.
On Friday I am visiting one of the Centres for the Fire Fighters Charity (FFC) in Littlehampton in West Sussex (they have 3 in total spread across the country), and meeting Dr Jill Tolfrey their CEO. Although the FFC are very different from the PTC, there are some similarities, and in recent years they have undergone a change programme that has modernised their charity and the services that they provide.
I am currently reviewing how we at the PTC do our business, and I am in the process of writing a Strategic Assessment which will give us the opportunity to establish where we are at the moment, and more importantly where we want to go over the next 5-10 years. There is no doubt in my mind that we are in a strong position and doing important work, but equally I want to be sure, that we continue to modernise and evolve, and ensure that we remain fit for purpose for both this generation of police officers, but also future generations. A visit to the FFC will therefore give me the opportunity to “benchmark” the PTC against another charity, and where there are useful lessons to be learned, ensure that we benefit from these.
<<Back