Committee Info
Ann Muir MBE
I have been the a member of NL Disability Forum for around 20 years. I am now the Chairperson. The reason I joined was while James Kelly was chair (many years ago) I came in & asked if he knew of the problems faced by laryngectomees, & I ended up on the committee. My interests are in any cancer related projects, chairing Speakeasy, also the Forum. I want to help anyone in need & I like to keep busy. I enjoy being chair of the forum & seeing how it’s evolved over the years. I am very involved in work involving cancer and I was honoured with MBE status in 2018.
Ben MacFarlane
I am Ben, I have been a member of NL Disability Forum since 2022. I am also a member of the Boys Brigade supporting young people to get the most out of the programme. I enjoy reading and listening to music and walking my cocker spaniel Fudge, she is very energetic! Being a committee member for me means I can find out about what is happening in North Lanarkshire and how disabled people can have options and can find out about the best support. I like to know my voice is heard and I that am listened to. I feel privileged to be part of something so good, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for NLDF.
Fiona Johnson
I started at NLDF (Motherwell DF) as their first employee, retired at 60 and was “invited” to join the Committee. I am also a Board Member and Director at North Lanarkshire Carers Together and a Board Member at the Health & Wellness Hub. I love being retired and spend a lot of my time volunteering at many and varied events. I started with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and caught the bug. I try anything from large Sporting Events, Kiltwalks, Athletics, Piping Festivals Stirling Highland Games and smaller fund raising runs. I have a “borrowed” cat called Troy and enjoy meeting friends for meals, shows and anything else we fancy.
Audrey Munro
Hello, my name is Audrey, and I am a member of the North Lanarkshire Disability Forum and also a Committee member. I joined the NLDF just under a year ago and became a Committee member at the end of last year. Becoming a member has been really beneficial, I have became more aware of disability issues and what support I can access within my local community. I am particularly interested in raising awareness of those unseen disabilities, such as chronic migraine. This is a condition which has affected me for many years and has had a massive impact on my life, both socially and in the workplace. Being part of the NLDF will allow me to be an advocate for these unseen disabilities. It is important to engage in activities which promote a feeling of wellbeing, for me this going to a local book club, volunteering with Cat Protection, being in a support group, gardening and cross stitching. I also love going to the cinema and theatre and meeting friends regularly. Obviously, all these activities are dependent on how I feel on the day! I look forward to enjoying more activities within the NLDF which have helped me so much.
Craig Collington
Hello my name is Craig I’m a committee member with North Lanarkshire Disability Forum which I enjoy representing very much with my friend Yvonne.
Jen Worrall
Hello, my name is Jen, and I am one of the North Lanarkshire Disability Forum volunteers and committee members. I have been volunteering with NLDF for 18 months now. On the 5th August I qualified with my first guide dog, Snowball. I was matched with Snowball in May 2021, and I trained with her from June and August. The training involves building up to a good working partnership and a bond of trust between the person and the dog. We were learning different commands and ways to control the dog. We learned different routes as we went along. The training was very intense, but it has been worth it. Your routine is totally upside down because you have a four-legged friend now and their needs come before yours. It’s a bit like having a new baby.
Get in Touch
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Engagement and Participation
Supported People's Partnership
Partnership
North Lanarkshire Disability Forum (NLDF), Lanarkshire Links and Voice of Experience Forum (VOEF) are working together for better Health and Social Care for Supported People in North Lanarkshire.
NLDF, Lanarkshire Links, and the VOEF have officially formed a strategic partnership. This collaboration is a direct response to North Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care’s Engagement and Participation Strategy.
Our mission is simple: to ensure that the people who use health and social care services in North Lanarkshire are the ones helping to shape them. By combining our expertise and resources, we can provide a robust structure for representation, ensuring that your lived experiences reach the people making the big decisions.
As each of our organisations specialise in reaching those often considered under-represented, we have combined together our skills, knowledge, and resources, so that we can achieve more effective outcomes for our community than we ever could alone.
We believe that to truly enhance the lives of those living and working in North Lanarkshire, your voice must not only be heard but it must be valued.
Engagement and Participation Network
A key element to this partnership is creating a network of grass roots organisations who engage with supported people, and those under-represented to share their knowledge and experiences of statutory services.
The Engagement and Participation Network will offer collaborative opportunities, experiences and input from the Network members. Through this Network, we will work to highlight gaps in representation allowing us to tailor our communications and approaches to meet the needs of the under-represented groups.
As the Engagement and Participation (E&P) Network is set up as part of the University Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire Engagement and Participation (UH&SC NL E&P) Strategy. The E&P Network has been established to support and compliment a strategic North Lanarkshire wide approach to involvement, engagement, and participation of all.
Vision: The E&P Network aims to ensure that local people with support needs, feel heard, engaged, and involved in the development of health and social care services in North Lanarkshire.
Remit of Group: The E&P Network will ensure that, the network partners work towards promoting best practice, delivering E&P activities, and recording such work and the outcomes across health and social care in North Lanarkshire.
Membership: The E&P Network will include and engage with statutory, community, and voluntary sector colleagues to achieve its aims.
From the Supported People’s Partnership and through the E&P Network we intend to use the ‘Growth Pot Fund’ to help widen participation through the provision of financial support to groups.
The Growth Pot Fund
The Partnership will administer a Growth Pot Fund, where organisations and grass roots community groups can apply for funding to increase their engagement and participation, as a result of their application they will be invited to the E&P Network.
Who can apply?
This fund is open to
· Charities, community groups and associations based in North Lanarkshire
· Organisations with an annual income under £75,000
· Groups that hold a bank account in the name of the organisation
· Groups that have a governing document (i.e. a Constitution or Terms of Reference)
We especially encourage applications from under-represented communities, including ethnic minorities, New Scots, and LGBTQ+ groups.