It has been quite a year of growth and many changes for Parentsactive in 2025. We are proud of how far we have come in our journey as a CIC. It hasn’t been easy, but with your support and the continued dedication of our team, we’ve had a memorable year that we can proudly look back on.Earlier in April, we were thrilled to be recognised in the 2025 Civic Honours Award. Our small team of staff and directors, celebrated the occasion and proudly accepted the award. This was an important milestone, as we had only been a CIC for a year. Having our achievements highlighted as an organisation that was making a positive difference in Hammersmith & Fulham, strengthened our belief in what we do and where we are heading.
Our appreciation for all of you and the community we’ve built, originally as a parent carer forum and now as a CIC, led to our celebration on 21st May 2025. We weren’t just celebrating navigating independently as a CIC, but also 25 years of fostering a network of like-minded parent carers committed to creating positive change and inclusion for children and adults with SEND. It was a lovely get-together at Riverside Studios, giving us all the chance to meet in a relaxed atmosphere and enjoy performances from our talented community in music, dance, and comedy. It was truly an unforgettable afternoon!
From those moments, it was onward and upward as we grew our team to meet the demands of being a small CIC. Zara joined in June to support our growing admin and communication needs, followed by Alice, Post-19 Co-Production Coordinator, who took over from Caroline Spiers in September. We also able to increase our advocacy provision for parents in the Earls Court area and extending our reach with a new post. Together we’ve really become a “wonder team.”
We’d like to give an honourable mention to our dedicated Director and Chair of the Steering Committee, Alessa, who not only masterminded our wonderful team day but also contributes so much behind the scenes, including our soon to be launched Wellbeing Project and our exciting website update (keep an eye out!). She has helped push Parentsactive forward in the best way, ensuring that as a CIC we continue to keep parent carers and their challenges at the heart of what we do. As a team, we would be incomplete without her- thank you, Alessa, for all that you are doing.
Finally, our Steering Committee has also continued to grow, strengthening our understanding of wider parent carer experiences through their representation. A warm welcome to Maya and Martina, we are excited to have you on board, bringing fresh insight to the committee. Our Christmas lunch last week was a wonderful opportunity for the Parentsactive team and Steering Committee to come together, connect and end the year.