There are people all over our city doing great things for the benefit of others. At TDC we like to celebrate these people as our “Community Beacons of Brighton.” TDC development worker Sue Sayers got in touch to tell us about one such person, Stan, who works tirelessly with a number of local charities and organisations, helping them in many different ways. We caught up with Stan to ask him about some of the work he does.
So where to begin with Stan’s community involvement…? Well, he’s a public governor of Sussex Foundation NHS Trust, is trustee of Possability People and supports local charity Cruse Bereavement Care plus local dementia and diabetes charities. He’s a part of the Expert Patient Programme based at Brighton General Hospital and has recently been elected as chair for his local PPG (Patient Participation Group) network. And as well as all this he’s a school governor and gives talks at Brighton University (Brighton & Eastbourne Campuses) focussing on living with diabetes and other long-term health conditions.
When we asked Stan why he’s involved in so many local groups his answer was simple “I do all this because I care“.
He elaborates, “Brighton is a wonderful city, I feel proud of it and of all the people working hard on behalf of others. The organisations I support are honest, straightforward and above all, they care too. Charities are making a wonderful effort but are facing many difficulties at the moment.”
Stan hopes that charities will collaborate and connect more in the future for the benefit of everyone. He says “everything is connected, we all have to work together and progress things together. It’s about finding common ground. My ambition is to connect everything together – it’s the only way forward”.
With so many things going on, Stan spends a lot of time working with others. He told us “I’m a people person – people always come up and speak to me. And I’m always at the end of the phone so they know how to reach me if they need to”.
But how does Stan fit everything in? He chuckles, “I have to keep on top of my diary to keep up with everything”.
It was such a pleasure for us to catch up with Stan and find out about the impact he is making on groups all over the city. And when we asked him if he has any thoughts on how he keeps up this level of community activity he offered us this advice “You mustn’t be negative in anything you do, it makes for a much happier future if you take that approach”.
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The UK Care Guide offers a great resource with advice and an infographic on coping with bereavement. Find the article on their website – Dealing with Bereavement – 21 Important things to Consider.