Stop.

Celebrate.
Tell.
There is no doubting how important it is to take the time to stop, look at what you’ve done well, celebrate and share your successes with others.
This is usually easier said than done.
So often we have many things in our lives that demand our time and attention, but it is so important to take the time to stop and reflect. Not only does it give us the opportunity to say ‘well done’ to ourselves and our teams, it also gives us the opportunity to look at what hasn’t gone to plan, and think about how we might change what we do in the future.
So here we are. Stopping, Celebrating, and Telling you about some of the things that the Business Development Team at Touchstone  and all the brilliant staff, volunteers, service users and partners we’ve worked with, have achieved over the past year:

  • Sustainable growth is at the heart of what we do, and since 2015/16, our income has increased by 11%
  • Touchstone has begun delivering 8 new services, along with a whole host of fantastic staff and new partnerships
    • Stronger families in partnership with Leeds City Council – 20+ partners
    • Connecting Opportunities in partnership with Migration Yorkshire , Halifax Opportunities Trust, Horton Housing, Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network, Nova/ Dominion Training, PATH Yorkshire, Solace, The Children’s Society and WomenCentre
    • Liaison and Diversion in partnership with Wakefield City Council’s Youth Offending Team, Together Women Project and others
    • Barnsley Futures in partnership with Interserve (West Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Company) and Foundation
    • Migrant Access Project + in partnership with LASSN and Feel Good Factor
    • Dementia Arts in partnership with Pavilion Arts
    • Best Start Peer Support in Partnership with Women’s Health Matters and Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
    • Beacon In Partnership with Leeds Housing Concern and Foundation
  • We successfully retained the Kirklees Peer Brokerage Service
  • 14% of our funding for services comes from outside Leeds
  • Have developed a range of Business Development training resources for staff and volunteers to support their development and understanding of funding
  • Coordinated Business Development Lunches – bringing together Business Development peers across mental health and wellbeing third sector organisations in Leeds

We work in line with our Business Development Strategy, ensuring that all development supports vulnerable people and communities to eliminate health inequalities – individuals and communities are at our core.
Every opportunity is carefully considered, focusing on delivering sustainable, quality services with communities across Yorkshire and building relationships with partner organisations. Ensuring that there are a range of robust, high quality and person-centred services available to all those that need them.
We’d like to say a huge thank you to all the staff, service users, volunteers and partner organisations we have worked with over the past year – it has been a fantastic and we hope that 2018 will be full of more partnerships, developments and joined up working, and that Yorkshire continues to be  a leader in mental health and wellbeing support services.