2025 AGM Chair’s Report – (with handover) from Debbie Gown
Good evening and thank you for attending the 33rd Annual General Meeting of the North Devon Forum for Autistic Spectrum Conditions and ADHD . Your presence tonight reminds us exactly why this Forum exists, and why the work we do continues to matter so deeply across our community. Tonight is a moment for reflection on a challenging year, but more importantly, a moment to look forward.
As many of you will remember, this time last year the future of the Forum looked very bleak. We were facing the reality that, after 30 years of existence, left with just a handful of trustees trying to run the group, we had to accept the sad reality - that we may fold.
However — after lots of hard work by our trustee Clare Norman in recruiting new trustees, we are very pleased to announce that we are back up and running . Clare, we owe you an enormous thank-you for your time and determination to bring the new trustees on board and ensure we didn’t fold.
To our members: unfortunately lack of funding and trustees has contributed to not many events being offered this year or communication at times not being as it should have been, however thank you for bearing with us, while behind the scenes we have regrouped, and the new trustees have been finding their feet within the roles they have undertaken.
And to our newly recruited trustees: Welcome. You join us at the beginning of a new era (and I promise you, not every year will feel like a dramatic rescue story!).
I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to our trustees and volunteers, past and present, for your dedication. For giving your time, energy and expertise when we needed it most. You helped steady the ship through its most challenging chapter.
The Forums importance has become clearer than ever this past year. We have seen a surge in individuals and families seeking support for diagnosis pathways. We continue to support individuals and families while they navigate the long waiting times and assessments, ECHP’S and the education system, and the uncertainty that often follows diagnosis. We provide signposting, subsidised events and trips, monthly coffee mornings – often with professional speakers from outside agencies, and a social media platform where members can support each other. We also have a resource and extensive book library which members are welcome to borrow from. The Forum has always been a bridge, a guide and — in many cases — a lifeline. The support, messages, and encouragement we’ve received from members, schools and the wider community have confirmed that our work is every bit as essential today as it was three decades ago.
After much reflection — and with complete confidence in the direction the Forum is now heading — I have decided to step down as Chair. This has not been an easy decision, but I believe it is the right moment for fresh leadership as we enter this exciting new chapter. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as Chair for the last 15 years or so, and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together, especially under such difficult circumstances.
However, I want to reassure you that I am not going anywhere. I will continue to serve as a trustee and remain actively involved in supporting the Forum’s future — just from a slightly different seat at the table.
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I am also delighted to announce that Steve Daw will be taking on the role of Chair. Steve brings energy, commitment and a genuine passion for our mission, and I have every confidence that under his leadership, the Forum will continue to grow, thrive, and serve our community brilliantly. I ask you all to give Steve your full support in the year ahead.
Looking ahead, we have much to look forward to and I am very excited to see our goals for the coming year include rebuilding and expanding our activities, strengthening partnerships, growing our membership, and raising our profile so that support can be accessed earlier, more easily, and with fewer barriers. With new trustees on board, who have already provided tremendous new energy, new perspectives, extreme dedication and renewed purpose, we are moving forward with optimism, clarity and momentum.
I will now pass over to our new trustees who will introduce themselves and their roles, but finally, I want to thank you — our members, families, professionals and supporters. Your belief in this Forum kept us going when things looked impossible. Together, we have protected a vital community resource — and together, we will continue to make a positive difference across North Devon for many years to come.
Thank you.
Steve Daw – New Chair
Hi. I’m Steve. I have been a member of the Forum for several years, and for most of that time I was pretty silent. I didn’t really know any of the other members, but I recognised the trustees by their uniform. I went on the occasional trip, and maybe the odd swimming session, but that was it.
Three years ago, however, everything changed. I found myself on my own with my two boys – living in a new town with no support network around me, and suddenly (like others before me) the forum became a lifeline. There was this network of people who not only understood what I was going through but were there to offer support. These people were all facing similar decisions and dilemmas to me every day, and slowly but surely, I started to feel at home amongst them.
Over the three years, I drifted in and out of the coffee mornings as the pressures of life evolved, but when I heard talk of this group finishing, I stepped up. How could I let something that had become so vital to me stop? I became a trustee. I didn’t really know what I was doing, and I didn’t know what was expected of me – I just knew that I had to do something to keep this entity alive. A few months on and I found myself volunteering for the role of Chair. Like other times in my life, I had seen a job that needed doing and thought “I can do that”. Here I am today because of that.
I don’t want to say, “this is what I am going to do” or “these are the things I am going to change”, because right now I don’t know what lies ahead. All I know for sure is what has come before, and that was a lifeline. I can’t believe that my life was the only one touched by the forum in all the years that it has been running, so really all I want to say is thanks. Thank you to Annie for being here every 4[th] Thursday to open up and greet everybody who walked in through these doors with a drink and a smile (whether you knew them or not). Thank you to Clare for coming and chatting to the guy sat on his own who didn’t know what he was doing (that was me by the way). Thank you to Lin for making sure I received the newsletter, even when the computer said “no”. Thank you to Debbie for holding this organisation together for as long as you did.
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Thank you to all the other trustees (past and present) who’s work behind the scenes has kept forum ticking along for as long as it has. Whatever comes next is the product of everything that has come before, and all the work that you have put in.
Thank you.
Beckie Dayman - Vice Chair and Funding Trustee
I'm super proud to be the forum's fundraising trustee. This is quite a paperwork heavy role so Bonnie and I are sharing and supporting between Events and Fundraising. I am currently in the middle of completing lots of grant applications inc the National Lottery and hope to get some significant financial support in place to keep the forum running for as long as possible. I have also been asked to be Vice Chair, supporting our newly Elected Chair, Steve, stepping up when he is not available. Steve, Bonnie, Linda and I have regular contact with each other already and make a brilliant team!! I also look forward to working more closely with other Trustees over the next few months whilst my own children settle into their new educational settings, and I can share my experience and knowledge with current and new members who face the ever on-going battle of acquiring diagnosis' and EHCP's at our regular coffee mornings and drop ins.
Bonnie Wood -Events Trustee
Having recently taken over as Events Trustee this year, we have had two events. Exmoor zoo was attended by 11 members and with have two dates organised at the big sheep for Christmas. I have also been on the voice local radio station speaking about the forum and asking for selection box's for our Christmas big sheep event. Next year I hope to organise, Longleat festival of lights, Big sheep Easter and Christmas, sleep over at Plymouth aquarium to name a few.
Lin McQueen -Membership Trustee
Hi, I am Lin McQueen your Membership Trustee for the NDF
Having recently taken over this role, I am looking forward to being your contact for anything membership related and getting to know as many of you as possible
Currently, we have over 550 members and this number is increasing each month
I would like to further streamline our processes in the future, to enable me to take on more responsibility.
I feel confident that by working together we can make a difference.
Clare Norman -Recruitment and Coffee Morning Trustee
Recruitment/Safeguarding
As Safeguarding Officer this last year, I have also been responsible for the Recruitment of new Trustees, following our reluctant announcement at the last AGM, that the North Devon Forum for Autistic Spectrum Conditions & ADHD was at very serious risk of closing down, after 33 years of signposting and supporting families in North Devon, the last 8 years as a registered Charity.
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Before the November 2024 AGM, we had unsuccessfully intermittently advertised through our Newsletters and Facebook Group, for replacement Trustees, having had a large number of our longer term Trustees either step down, or planning to imminently step down. Having all put a great deal of our time and hearts into the running of the Forum, none of us wanted to see it close down, so it was great relief to have some members step forward to be new Trustees, with their enthusiasm and determination to prevent the group from folding.
We have some of the key organisational roles covered now, in order to move forward, but we do still need more Trustees to take over from those who will soon be stepping down, particularly from key roles of Treasurer, Social Media, IT Support, Coffee Morning Coordinator and Safeguarding & Recruitment, which are currently being managed on a temporary basis. Those currently in these roles plan to remain as general Trustees for as long as they can, in order to assist newer Trustees with the transition to taking over these more specific roles.
In the past, pre-Covid, we ran the Forum with sufficient Trustees (26) to have a Lead Trustee in the main organisational roles and also to have Deputies, to cover absence, illness and having to step back temporarily due to family commitments, which we always understand must be everyone’s priority, with the roller-coasters that our lives can often be.
As it stands we now have a total of 18 Trustees, though with 6 of those planning to either step down completely or step back from key roles in the near future. So, ideally, we require at least another 10 Trustees, in order for the duties and responsibilities of running the Forum efficiently to be shared out, in order to restore what we can offer families to the higher level that it what it was pre-Covid. We will be repeating a recruitment appeal again in the coming few months.
We very much appreciate those 8 members who have stepped up to become Trustees since the last November 2024 AGM, in order to keep the Forum running, so to Steve, Beckie, Bonnie, Katie, Lin, Hayley, Phil and Laura, thank you again for your support, new ideas and unwavering enthusiasm.
Welcome!
Linda Falkner -Secretary, Librarian and Guest Speakers Trustee
Since I took over the role of Secretary, in July 2025, I have endeavoured to provide a monthly Newsletter to keep members informed of events planned for the forthcoming month, news, and more recently, provide feedback on events which have already taken place.
I am hopeful that the distribution problems, via the membership database, have finally been pinpointed and addressed by Denver, our IT Support Trustee, to enable all of you to receive a copy from December onwards. If you still don’t get a copy, please let me know.
I am keen to develop the Newsletter much further in 2026. Suggestions are very welcome. One has been to have a ‘Book of the Month’ section to highlight items from our extensive library of specialist books (circa 380 items) which is available at the Barnstaple Coffee Mornings, but currently underused.
I think we can also use the Newsletter to highlight particular areas of concern and to offer suggestions and signposting based on the personal and professional experiences of our Trustees and members. We are already discussing Themes at the Coffee Mornings when we
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don’t have a Guest Speaker, in this respect. Perhaps some of you would also like a ‘letters’ or ‘frequently asked questions’ page – please let me know.
If any of you have a particular area of expertise or know someone who has and are willing to come to talk to us, as a Guest Speaker, please contact me. Once our following has recovered to pre-Covid levels, we can consider inviting big names again!
We are also keen to branch out to wider areas of North Devon. Steve and I are currently offering a drop-in service at South Molton Pannier Market on the second Tuesday of the month (5 - 6.30pm) in conjunction with SkateMolton. We would also like to hear from members in other areas, of North Devon, who would appreciate a ‘drop-in’ even if it is only on an occasional basis.
Let’s all spread the word that the Forum has not folded but is rather now going from ‘Strength to Strength’
Thank you.
Denver Gown -IT Support
At the last AGM, I announced my planned transition from the IT Support role to IT Advisor, a change driven by my evolving professional career. The primary goal of this transition was to recruit and train a new trustee to manage the IT Support responsibilities. As we haven't yet secured a replacement, I've continued to fill the support gap to the best of my ability. I will commit to maintaining this level of support for another year while we actively search for the new IT Support trustee. My formal role as IT Advisor will focus specifically on strategic guidance and critical oversight:
• Guidance and Training: Mentor and fully train the incoming IT Support Trustee.
• Best Practice Advisory: Advise on IT best practices and strategy, leveraging both my professional career experience and my history with the forum.
• Website Management: Update and maintain the forum's website.
• Emergency Support: Provide immediate assistance for critical, high-priority issues (e.g., cyber incidents, data protection requests).
Until a permanent replacement for general IT Support is found, I will continue to handle essential operational tasks (albeit with a slower response time) such as:
• Trustee IT Inductions: Carry out inductions for new trustees.
• Account Management: Manage the creation and removal of all trustee accounts. (A special thanks to Clare and Lineal for stepping in to manage this crucial task during the recent influx of new trustees.)
• Hardware Maintenance: Troubleshoot and fix issues with the forum's laptops.
I am really excited for the future of the forum, and it feels incredible to be having insightful discussions about the direction of the forum with existing trustees and their experience, and newer trustees with their passionate and motivating ideas.
Having joined somewhere in the middle (about 8 years ago), and having such an intense passion for the forum, it has been inspiring watching our growth in the last year - though we still need more Trustees if we want to get back to where we used to be.
Denver Gown IT Advisor / Supp
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North Devon Forum for Autistic Spectrum Conditions and ADHD Registered Charity no.1172597
Treasurer’s Statement for Annual General Meeting Saturday 7[th] November, 2025
INCOME
EXPENDITURE
----- Start of picture text -----
Main Account
Activities -£5,038.69
Cash from collection boxes £149.70 Cargo Self Storage -£1,411.89
Contributions towards activities DBS Check -£120.00
including money from Craft Group £563.77 Insurance Policy Annual
-£947.47
and Library renewal
Grant: Bideford Bridge Trust £2,000.00 IT (Lineal, Microsoft, etc.) -£1,229.63
Grant: Bideford Town Council £1,000.00 NON-GBD Trans Fee -£1.85
Sponsored money from Michelle £150.00 Eventbrite -£76.21
Transfer from Savings Account £2,327.47 Room Hire & Roundswell -£479.00
Total Income £6,190.94 Storage Boxes for Library -£47.04
(L. Falkner)
Trustees Expenses -£409.38
Savings Transfer to savings
-£7,500.00
Account account
L. York for Library
Details Income Expendit Total -£46.62
Catalogue
ure
Uniforms -£123.12
Transfer from £7,500.
main account 00
Interest £24.68
Transfer to -
main account £2,327.4
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Balance in £5,197.
----- End of picture text -----
| SUMMARY | ||
| 01.11.2024 Bank Balance |
£ 11,552.61 | |
| 2024-2025 | ||
| Total Income main account | £ 6,190.94 | |
| Total income savings account | £ 5,197.21 | |
| Total Expenditure | £ 17,430.90 | |
| 31.10.2025 | ||
| Balances per Bank Statement | ||
| Main account | £ 312.65 | |
| Savings account | £ 5,197.21 | |
| Total | £ 5,509.86 | |
Tom Bayliss Treasurer. 31.10.2025