Sunday 15th July 2012

2011 Sunday 11th July

A disabled lady from Manchester summed up the 20th Anniversary Disability Awareness Day as a place "to come and, for once, not to be in the minority - it's amazing". As the founder and event co-ordinator I would sum it up as a milestone in history, not just for our team at Warrington Disability Partnership or the town of Warrington, but for disabled people globally. I cannot believe that since our humble beginnings back in 1992 we have managed to organise and deliver 20 annual events locally, plus inspire many others that have been held nationally and internationally. It's even harder to take in when one remembers that it all started out with a simple idea to promote the range of support available, not just to disabled people and their families, but also to the community.

The Planning Begins

As we signed off and celebrated last year's event none of us realised that it might well have been the last! In November last year, government changes resulted in the withdrawal of support from our principal sponsors the North West Development Agency. Initially this meant that we had to find Ł45,000 or cancel the 20th anniversary event. During the next few weeks I checked and cross checked the finances, making subtle cut backs wherever reasonably possible, with an eye on maintaining safety and quality, and not least loosing the focus of the event overall. But as I presented the case to the Trustees and DAD Management Team it was clear that some of the cuts were unreasonable, which meant we would need to raise approximately Ł30,000 or cancel the event. It quickly became apparent that given the economic climate, this wasn't going to be simply signing up several new sponsors. We were also not prepared for the news that during the coming months we were set to lose two more sponsors, which added a further Ł8,000 to our target.

Going the Extra Mile

Like anyone would, given the task ahead, I considered how I could contribute to the fundraising target. During January this year my dive buddy Graham and I agreed to launch 'Going the Extra Mile', a one mile (66 lengths) scuba diving challenge. Initially, we thought that the event might raise four to five thousand pounds. What we hadn't banked on is that it would create huge interest from other experienced divers including Simon, Chief Executive at 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust where I work. He was joined by his son Tom and seven other divers, plus several novices who did a series of try dives. Several swimmers also joined us, including two of my fellow Trustees Karen and Jan. The event was supported by our dive instructor Terry from Cybaqua and several members of his club. Altogether we managed to raise over Ł15,000, but more importantly it raised the profile of our funding plight to another level. This extra publicity drew interest from new sponsors including Arena Housing, St George Healthcare, David Lewis Centre and several donations from individuals, businesses, charities and friends. This included Cynthia Salluyts whose donation was in memory of her late husband and my good friend Francois. During the coming months 'Going the Extra Mile' challenges continued, with twenty five runners competing in the Manchester 10k Run and dozens taking part in the Kayak Challenge, plus several other less strenuous activities.

The Show Must Go On

In February, after lots of hard work and several sleepless nights, the Trustees and DAD Management Team were assured that we were financially safe to go and the decision was made that the 20th Anniversary would take place. From that point on everyone knew their tasks, exhibitor administration, marketing and publicity, booking the artists, logistics, services, applying for specialist funding, dealing with the legalities, meeting with the stewards and support teams, daily developments of the DAD website, selling advertising in the DAD programme and negotiating with the new sponsors and supporters.

Principal Sponsor

During one discussion with Helen Bellairs, Chief Executive of NHS Warrington, she agreed that they would double their usual financial contribution to become the principal sponsor for this year's event.

Its Official - Her Royal Highness Accepts Our Invitation

As the weeks went by so did our monthly management meetings. There was growing anticipation about of how the changes we had imposed, during the cost cutting exercises, might impact on the overall feel of the event. However, this paled into insignificance when I announced that HRH the Countess of Wessex had accepted our invitation to join us on the 7th July to visit the Mental Health event that we were planning with 5 Boroughs, who had agreed to provide additional sponsorship for that event.

More Supporters Sign Up - Including International Visitors

In the last few weeks leading up to the 20th Anniversary event, media interest grew past anything we had ever witnessed, much aided by the Royal visit, plus the announcement that the RAF had promised a flypast of the Second World War Dakota. We also received the news that eight health and social care delegates from Thailand had agreed to visit the event.

Launch of DAD 2011

At 7am on Saturday 2nd July, my wife Pam stood by the bedroom window and announced that it was dry and the sun was shining. It's surprising how a little ray of sunshine can lift ones spirits and how the rain can simply destroy them. Each day during the week Pam followed the similar routine, plus checking the long range weather forecast. As we both arrived at the Old Market Place, located in the Golden Square in Warrington Town Centre, Maria and Graham already had things under control for the launch event, which was an extravaganza of live music and dance. The stage was built, the seating was ready, WDP's promotional stands were looking great, the stewards were busy and the weather was grand. Thanks to the hard work of Jayne, Tom, Brun, Audrey and other members of Team WDP and Gary's team at Warrington Worldwide, we received ample copies of the DAD programme which aided our promotional activities. Carly Ryan from BBC's Autistic Superstars really pulled in the crowds and the young dancers from Revive Dance School had everyone smiling. The Deputy Mayor Councillor Steve Wright joined me on stage to officially launch DAD Week and we made way for the Warrington Male Voice Choir. Shortly into their first set of songs, disaster struck when a gust of wind brought down the backdrop that was supported by a huge section of aluminium. As it crashed towards the dozens of men on the stage, it was the quick thinking of Karl, our BSL Interpreter, who saved the situation from becoming much worse. Karl, who was on the stage supporting the Choir, grabbed the aluminium framework, taking much of the weight, but it wasn't enough to stop two gentlemen from injury.

Thankfully they were released from hospital later that afternoon. Everyone involved in DAD sends their best wishes for a speedy recovery. I mustn't forget to mention the great work of Ian Cox's team from the Golden Square; they acted ultra professionally throughout the incident, keeping everyone calm, as well as administering initial first aid to the two injured gentlemen. They assured us that it was ok to continue. After a forty minute break the rest of the choir agreed to go back on stage and complete their set, which was a huge relief to the watching crowd and set us up to complete the day. Other entertainers included Sam, a local piano accordionist. This was his first time in front of a large public audience and he definitely delivered. Martin Finn, another vocalist from BBC's Autistic Superstars gave an outstanding performance, as too did female vocalist Hollie Caddock. We were also entertained by both ends of the dance/movement spectrum with the sedate Tai Chi and the new fitness craze Zumba. By 5.30pm, when thousands of visitors had been entertained, we were finished, cleared up and off for a bite to eat with some of the team at nearby Shelley's Restaurant. By the way, Shelly is a great host, she offers great food at reasonable prices and her restaurant is accessible, including the loo.

Calm before the Storm

Sunday wasn't going to be a day to rest. To begin with, eight of us headed off the local wholesalers to pick up food, drink and other supplies we needed to keep DAD's Army of volunteers fed and watered during the next week. It really is amazing when you see so many cases of water, soft drinks, crisps and chocolate stacked up on so many large trolleys. What's even more amazing is seeing how little of it is left on Monday morning as we pack up the site office and store rooms. Just think how many calories we consumed!

Whilst we were out buying, other members of the team, led by Brun and John were busy attending a promotional event in Walton Gardens, home for the rest of our DAD events. They were also selling tickets for our DAD Barbados Raffle, which was set to raise around Ł5,000. I must admit that I am a little worried by the antics of various members of our Trustees, staff and volunteers, they seemed very keen to 'dress up' as pirates, hula dancers and sporting very colourful clothing and headgear. I will never take Karen and Ian seriously again at our Trustees meetings. By late afternoon, a small team of us arrived at the park, just as the promotional team were packing up for the day. We were there to mark out the event site ready for the erection of the Marquees that would be starting very early on Monday morning. The great weather had attracted hundreds of people to the park, and it wasn't until a few hours later that we could get started. We finally left the park at around 9pm and it was off home to make one or two changes to the itinerary and site plan that we would be following during the week ahead.

Day One of DAD Week - Military Style Precision Planning

As the radio alarm went off at 6.30am on Monday morning, I was already awake and looking forward to meeting up with the DAD Week team up at the park. As I arrived on site, Paul and his team from Florida Marquees were already in full flow. Several of our team were gathered around the usual area, which would become our base for the week. One by one they arrived; Terry, Gavin, Graham, Tommy, Mark, John, Tom, Robert, Bob, Steve, Colin and Pam, plus Dave, who has become our official DAD video cameraman, capturing everything, and I mean everything. Each one of us has our own reasons for being there but together we share a camaraderie that is quite unique. The Warrington Guardian once again ran an article that highlighted this commitment, some taking their annual leave, unpaid leave or a mixture of both, each one putting in over 100 hours of voluntary work during the 8 days at the park. That's not to mention the extra hours put in by some of the team back at WDP.

Brun's plans were falling into place. At 10 o'clock the huge metal site office, kitchen and storage units were lowered into place, just where Graham and I had discussed the day before. Minutes later Alistair arrived from Acts Sound and Lighting to connect up our electrical supply to the units. During the morning we received several van loads of the equipment from the DAD lock-up, which included shelving, tables, fridge, tools, gazebos, signage and even the kitchen sink. Within a few hours, Graham and Pam had their unit set up, Graham's storage area and Pam's Kitchen, everything had its place. The site office took a little longer, with site plans, daily itineraries, insurance documents, site licences, computer, printer and desks, not to mention over 70 two way radios that would provide a vital communication link between the team during the week. Amazingly by 3pm Paul's team had virtually completed the huge 40m x 15m Arts Marquee that would be used for most of the week's complementary events. During the next 24 hours came the staging, backdrop and dance floor, after which we were ready to go.

At lunchtime we welcomed the sight of Colin driving back onto the park with our late breakfast, bacon and sausage sandwiches, supplied by Gavin's cafe 'Bite to Eat'. Throughout the day Pam kept us refreshed with ample hot and cold drinks and at tea time she prepared cheese and ham toasties. See, no health diets here, or was there? Terry our Head Steward announced that he was on a diet, as he opened his container of salad and wholemeal bread sandwiches. But that didn't stop him joining us for the bacon butties, cheese toasties, oh and several chocolate bars and cans of pop.

The Wider DAD Team

Back at WDP, Jayne, Brun, Caz and the team were busy preparing a whole range of activities including Tuesday's 'Schools and Employment' events, Wednesday's 'Children and Young People' event and 'Steward's Health and Safety briefing', Thursday's 'Royal visit' and 'Mental Health' event, Friday's 'BBQ in the Park', Saturday's 'Steward's Health and Safety briefing', as well as Sundays activities that included the Stewards Registration and Co-ordination, WDP Exhibition stands, Disability Trading Company stand, WDP Tombola, DAD Barbados Raffle, VIP Reception, accompanying the mayor and our guests from Thailand, and finally the Steward's debrief. All of this on top of running WDP's day to day services. Well done everyone!

During the first day on site we set out many of the road and site signage, plus placing promotional materials (posters and flyers) at busy locations within the park. The searing heat from the sunny day affected every one of us, especially as most of the work had been undertaken out in the open. I think we were all pleased to see the security guards arrive on site at 9pm.

Day Two of DAD Week - Here Come the Boys

Tuesday morning started off much the same, first the delivery of thousands of tables and chairs. Next came hundreds of sections of metal security fencing panels that were supplied free of charge by Beaver 84. Bosses at Beaver said that this was their way of contributing to our 20th Anniversary event. Thank goodness that Wayne and five lads from Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institute had arrived on site just in time to help unload the wagons. One can see from the size of the delivery vehicles that the event has grown year on year, as many of the companies now send wagons fitted with integrated fork lift trucks and HIAB crane units. None come much bigger than those carrying Hember Plants huge electric generators that provide power for the whole site. But the most impressive are those used by Andy Loos delivering the five toilet units that are used during the events. During the week we have come accustom to the myriad of wagons and equipment that together provide the facilities we need to build our temporary village in the grounds of Walton Hall Gardens. Then it was off up to the Hall to provide the welcoming presentation to over 70 young students who were attending our Schools Awareness event that was organised by Derek and his team from WDP. During the rest of the morning several other disabled people shared their life experiences, together with staff from our partner agencies that were on hand to promote their projects and services.

It's great to think that during the past decade that we have run this particular DAD Week event, we have engaged with around one thousand young people. One would hope that this involvement has had a positive impact on their lives and that this is helping to fight the stigma associated to disability. This awareness theme was continued during the afternoon when Derek, from our Employment Team led an employer's event that was attended by over 30 local businesses. Once again we were joined by staff from our local partners including Michelle from 5 Boroughs who was promoting the Anti Stigma Campaign that has so far attracted 108,000 signatories including national celebrities such as actor Stephen Fry. The evaluation from both events was very positive. Throughout the day the event site started to take shape, the guys completed the set out of the Stewards Control Point which was built around the site office and storage units. Pauls team completed a further four marquees in line with my request to complete the main area ready for Thursday Royal visit. We were joined for the last few hours of each day by Jayne, Brun, Caroline, Barry, Sandra and other members of staff from WDP. At around 9pm we handed over to the security guards and we headed off home.

Day Three of DAD Week - Singing in the Rain

Wednesday got off to a very wet start, as the rain came down heavily it lowered moral amongst the team and we started to think about our contingency plans including spreading bales of hay inside the marquees, forking the ground to drain the excess water and setting out the huge rubber matting that we had invested in several years ago when it didn't stop raining for ten days either side of the event. Just as if it was planned the rain stopped and the sun shone as Roz and her team from the Warrington Carers Centre arrived to set up the Arts Marquee for their afternoon 'Tea in a Tent' that was based on the theme of a Royal Summer Street Party celebrating this year's Royal Wedding. Around a hundred people were entertained by Paul Dee & The Carers Choir. I'm not sure about Paul's choice of songs as he belted out 'I'm singing in the rain' as we faced another heavy shower. That said everyone had a great time with the plentiful supply of drinks, sandwiches, strawberries and cream scones. Much to the disappointment of the DAD Week team, the carers finished off ALL of the strawberries. Come on Roz, can you order more next year!

By late afternoon Paul's team signed off the site, with all eleven marquees in place and ready for use. This was a couple of days ahead of the usual handover, but in time to have a clear site for tomorrow's Royal visit. I spent an hour or so measuring out the outside areas, and was pleased to let Brun know that we had eight new spaces. She was then able to contact the organisations on our waiting list. Within the hour she was on the telephone confirming the additional exhibitors who were all very pleased to have got in. Early evening saw the arrival of Rachael and Dave from our Leisure Recreation and Sports Team, who were organising the Party in the Park aimed at disabled children, young people, families and carers. Staff from the Warrington Disability Partnership, and Warrington Wolves Foundation were on hand together with Dave and his team from Warrington Youth Club and other members of Planet Blue. As well as the many sports on offer there was dance, a quiet area, face painting and a craft area, but the main attraction was the Zorbs located in a huge inflatable arena. The sight of people wedged into the huge rubber balls took me back to the days of 'It's a Knockout' with Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring. Overall the event attracted over a hundred participants from several local inclusive sports and social clubs.

New Faces at the Stewards Health and Safety Briefing

Whilst the event was in full flow I was off to meet and greet the stewards who had attended the Health and Safety Briefing. As I entered the marquee I was amazed at how many people were in attendance. As I looked around it was nice to see so many familiar faces, but there were many new faces too including Dave and Janis who we met for the first time on holiday in Egypt a few weeks ago. Incidentally this is the fourth time that we have managed to recruit DAD volunteers whilst on holiday, at least Dave and Janis live in Warrington unlike our previous volunteers who lived in Scotland, Kent and South Wales. Pam has suggested that we should take some DAD steward application forms with us next year! It was great to see that the 'call to action' articles we placed in the local media had worked as well. Each year we recruit more stewards as the event grows in size and quality. The saying 'many hands make light work' is definitely true, as was witnessed by the record clean up at Sundays event. We finally left the park at around 10.30pm and as Pam and I arrived home it straight to the wardrobes choosing what to wear for tomorrows Royal visit. After what felt like 20 or so difference configurations, Pam finally agreed on what dress to wear.

Day Four of DAD Week - The Royal Seal of Approval

We got off to a very early start on Thursday morning and as we arrived we met up with members of the Royal Protection Squad that included specially trained dogs. Then we welcomed dozens of extra stewards who together with the DAD Week team would ensure the day's events ran efficiently as we had planned during the several site visits. Just after 11am, all of the 30 plus odd exhibitors for the Mental Health and Wellbeing event were set up. The security area around the marquee and road to and from the Hall was established using metal pins, heavy rope and bunting. Her Royal Highnesses visit had attracted lots of media interest including Gary from Warrington Worldwide, Mike from the Warrington Guardian, a couple of national photographers and a team from Granada TV. I felt so proud speaking to camera about DAD, the day's event and our Royal visitor. The piece was shown in Saturday's Granada Reports programmes, which prove a great plug for Sunday's event. At 12 noon, right on time we received the announcement that Her Royal Highnesses car had arrived at the main bridge. Everyone of the welcoming party took their places including the Mayor of Warrington Councillor Mike Biggins and his wife, the High Sheriff of Cheshire and his lady wife, Diana Terris - Chief Executive of Warrington Borough Council, and then Pam and I at the end of the Civic Line up. Her Royal Highness was accompanied in her car by one of my fellow Deputy Lieutenants of Cheshire - Joelle Warren who was deputising for the Lord Lieutenant David Briggs MBE who was away on holiday.

After the formal introductions Pam and I escorted her into the marquee to meet with four groups, the first included staff, service users and carers from 5 Boroughs. Simon, our Chief Executive introduced the group who provided Her Royal Highness with an overview of the Trusts work promoting Patient Experience. Simon explained how this is used to influence service improvements. Next it was a second group of staff, service users and carers from 5 Boroughs. Led by one of my colleague Dennis, they shared their work on the Trusts Involvement Scheme which oversees involvement in a wide range of Trust business including staff training, corporate meetings and audit groups. Then it was over to the very impressive display of art and crafts produced by service users and carers. Here she met with Trust staff, artists, poets and leaders from the various workshops that would be on offer during the event. Led by another of my colleagues Duncan, Her Royal Highness expressed her interest in this area of our work. The final grouping consisted of members of the DAD team including Ian (Walton Hall Manager), Maria, Doreen, Caz, Tommy and my daughter Emma. Emma presented her with a memento, a star shaped paperweight embossed with the DAD logo. Then totally unplanned she walked over to and engaged with most of the exhibitors, shaking hands with staff and volunteers, and enquiring into their services. In addition to watching my wife Pam and daughter Emma meet the Countess, the highlight of this part of the event was witnessing the sheer delight on the faces of the exhibitors, many of whom I know as service users and carers at the Trust. Throughout our time in the marquee Sam, the piano accordionist who played at the launch event provided background entertainment. Her Royal Highness acknowledged Sam's contributions as we passed him on the stage.

Once outside the marquee Her Royal Highness walked over to a group of people, known to her and her team as Royal Watchers. They exchanged pleasantries, including several photos they had taken when they last met. Then it was off up the path to the Hall, along the way Pam and I had a chance to chat with her about Sunday's event. When we arrived at the Hall Her Royal Highness joined Pam and I together with other senior members of the DAD Management Team including Terry, Gavin, Jayne, Graham and Brun. Simon joined us as the sponsor of the day's event. During lunch we discussed how it all started, comparing the difference 20 years on. We also discussed society's perception on disabled people, in particular those with hidden disabilities such as mental illness. We finished by discussing the funding of future events, where Her Royal Highness suggested that we might want to consider having an open donations page on the 'Just Giving' website. This is something we will discuss further at the next meeting of the DAD Management Team. As Her Royal Highness left the Hall she met other WDP Trustees. Unfortunately, due to time constraints she wasn't able to meet other members of the DAD Management Team, which somewhat cast a small cloud over what until then had been a wonderful day. That said, most of those concerned have said that simply being part of the event was recognition for their hard work.

Ignite Your Life

Just as Her Royal Highnesses car left the event site I spent a few moments reflecting on the visit with Simon and members of the DAD Management Team. Each one of us was impressed by her understanding of the topics we discussed, and of her genuine level of interest. Then it was back to the event site to pick up on the 'Ignite Your Life' workshops and exhibition. As I went around the marquee it was clear that Her Royal Highnesses presence had left everyone with a sense of pride. People were exchanging their stories about what she said during the few minutes and seconds that they had with her. It set the scene for what turned out to be the most successful Mental Health event we had had during DAD Week. My thanks go to Simon for financially supporting the event and to my team from the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Unit for organising the event, especially Bernie who managed to communicate with the exhibitors and visitors. Well done everyone!

As the last exhibitor left at around 5pm members of the DAD Week Team sprung into action, clearing out the marquee and arranging the seating for the evenings Live Theatre event 'The Taming of the Shrew' by Heartbreak Theatre Company and hosted by Warrington Borough Council. Tommy and a small team of us headed over to the Sports Zone to set up the huge inflatable swimming pool that we would be using for the scuba diving on Sunday.

Young Guns

Both events were hailed as successful, each attracting over a hundred people. At around 11pm Pam and I handed over to Gavin, Tommy and several other 'young' stewards. I said to Pam on the way home, "I think this is a sign we are getting older, but it's great to see that we have a team of young people who can take on such responsibility". Gavin informed me on Friday morning that they left after 12 o'clock; I confirmed that Pam and I were probably already asleep.

Day Five of DAD Week - BBQ's, Auctions and Telephone Bidders!

Another early start for the team, many of whom were already busy as I arrived, first job on the itinerary was to check on the swimming pool that had been filling up over night. Perfect timing, it was a few inches off the top as Tommy looked over the edge. Next we cleaned out the Arts marquee and make it available to Martin and his team to set up the sound and lighting for the evening BBQ and Quiz Night. I spent Friday morning putting the final touches to the site plan; I still don't know how we manage to squeeze so many exhibitors into the space available. With over 500 spaces taken again this year it goes to show that there is still lots of interest in our event. During the day we were inundated with deliveries, catering vehicles, mobile exhibition units, stock for our exhibitors and WDP items for the evening's event.

Friday evening saw a great team effort; the stewards and WDP's fundraising team worked side by side and put on a fantastic evening. Quizmaster Graham alias our Stewards Control Leader for Sunday's event put on an entertaining, if not sometimes frustrating quiz that held everyone's concentration. Derek added to his list of events, acting as compare for the evening, and I doubled up as steward and auctioneer, wading through the great list of donated lots that included some spectacular items including a holiday in Brittany. My thanks to Jayne, Tom, Lyne, Rachael, Alex, Caz, Val and Ashna for their hard work in convincing dozens of people to donate the auction lots. Our friend Eddie Cunningham once again supported the auction with a donation of a rugby shirt, pity it was a Saints shirt, I might have got a bid in myself if it had been a Wolves shirt. That said we saw frantic bidding, including a phone bid from Kevin from our Employment Team. Overall it was a great night and we managed to raise nearly Ł4,000 for WDP.

Day Six of DAD Week - The Final Pieces of the Jigsaw

Even though we only left the park at 12.30am we were back on site eight hours later to put the final touches to the event site ready for the big day. At around 10am we were joined by members of local Lions clubs. Led by our good friends Pete and Elaine Ives, together we marked out the exhibition spaces, set out the hundreds of tables and nearly one thousand chairs, marshalled in dozens of the larger exhibitors including a bus, more catering units, fairground rides, more display units and took dozens more deliveries including 10,000 copies of magazines that were to be handed out by exhibitors. By 1pm we were just about ready for the delivery of pies and sausage rolls, and copious cups of tea and coffee from Pam's Kitchen. First in the queue were Wayne's lads from Thorn Cross who by now fitting in nicely with the overall DAD team. It's really great working with these guys each one with their own personality which one can see develop during their time with us. Over the years we have had some wonderful letters of thanks from the lads who have been really touched by their experience of DAD week. We really appreciate the respect that they show to Pam every year.

Jayne, Caz, Doreen, Rachael, Julie and Maria spent most of the day in the office where they were facing major problems with printing off the paperwork. This was due to our super duper photocopier breaking down under the pressure and high volume of work created through DAD during the past few weeks. We will say no more about this…… "Would I"? At 2pm I introduced the team at the second of the two Stewards Health & Safety Briefings. As I made my way out of the marquee I took a quick trip around the event site on my own. As I looked across the vast site I thought about Sunday, and the thousands of people who would transform the huge seemingly quite site into a fun packed living and breathing event.

We spent the afternoon checking the allocations of tables, chairs, power and gazebos. By late afternoon we took delivery of two huge wagon loads of mobility scooters and wheelchairs for use in our on-site mobility loan service. Thanks to Relay Transport for their support. At around 7.30pm we tucked into a huge banquet of Chinese food which has become a customary celebration for the DAD team. At around 10pm the last fairground ride was safely set up and we were ready to hand over to the security guards and head off home for an early night.

The Big Day - DAD 2011 and the 20th Anniversary

At 5am Pam turned to wake me up, but I was already awake. I encouraged her to look out of the bedroom window to check the weather. Its dry she said. Phew, what a relief. At just after 5.40am I drove down Chester Road to the welcome sight of sunshine breaking through the early morning cloud cover. I was amazed that I wasn't the first to arrive, in fact there were a dozen or so stewards already opening up the marquees and preparing the Stewards Control Point ready for the 80 plus men and women who would arrive shortly. By 6.30am the Stewards Signing in Areas were set up and orderly queues were forming. One by one they walked away with their itineraries in hand that explained were they would be required during the following 12 hours. I must mention that Jayne was busy until 2.30am in the morning completing the allocations lists. After a fairly low key start the queues of exhibitor's vehicles soon stretched back to the bridge, and within 15 minutes it was reported that we had a queue just short of the Walton Arms. During the next couple of hours we marshalled in over 400 cars and vans, including several large exhibition vehicles, everything was going to plan, except it was clouding over and looking very dark in the distance! At exactly 8am the last of the fairground rides and ice cream vans were in place and a team of 16 stewards reposition the entrance marquee over the footpath, ready for Julie and her team from WDP and Janice and Marion with the DAD Programmes stands.

As the 9.45am call went out to clear all none exhibition vehicles from the event site I was amazed that we had only a dozen or so vehicles to move and we would be ready for the visitors. Just at that point the heavens opened and we got the downpour we had all feared. But within 15 minutes it had passed and the sun started to break through again. Just after 10am I headed off to the car park and was amazed at the sight of so many visitors arriving, including the Dial-a-Ride vehicles from the Park and Ride service. Tina and her team from Warrington Sea Cadets did a great job marshalling the entrance and front car park, and James and his team of Army Cadets certainly had their hands full marshalling the rear car park and exit. As I made my way back to the Stewards Control Point to catch up with Graham I met our visitors from Thailand. Although they weren't expected until lunchtime they decided to make a day of it and every one of them already had bags full of information, and one or two freebies. At 12 noon the Mayor of Warrington - Councillor Mike Biggins announced the start of the Pulse walk/push, whilst Rachel, Maureen, Sue, Steve and their team co-ordinated the 64 participants as they clocked off each lap of the course. It was great to see the various charity mascots that were lined up at the start. At 12.30pm I formally welcomed our VIP guests to the DAD Reception that was held in the hall. We were honoured by the presence of delegates from Thailand, plus the Mayor and Mayoress, and Lord Hoyle who has supported most of our 20 events.

This year's VIP was a celebration of not just 20 years of DAD, but also WDP, who will be holding a formal event in September at the Town Hall. Our sponsors and supporters were joined by representatives from the fourteen organisations that have exhibited at every DAD event including Warrington MS Society, Riding for Disabled People, BT, Warrington Borough Council, Warrington Collegiate and Warrington Community Transport. I provided a look back at the past twenty events, starting with the very first in 1992 where my son Gavin and I arrived an hour or so before the exhibitors and tried in vain to mark out the exhibition spaces with a tin of white emulation paint, a two inch paint brush, a six foot tap measure and a very basic site plan written in a old note pad. In contrast to this year's event which took seven days and a team involving over 60 people at the event site and back at the Centre for Independent Living.

After presenting the awards in recognition to the 14 organisations I called up Keith Webb, initially a Park Ranger, then Park Manager, he has now retired and has returned as a volunteer. As I introduced the three other people who have been with me at every event I did what some people would say is impossible, I was lost for words, emotionally speechless. The battle for funding the 20th Anniversary, the stress and anxiety of the weather, plus the emotional high of the Royal visit simply got the better of me. Thankfully the Mayor stepped in to save my blushes, and helped present mementoes to my son Gavin, then my daughter Emma and then my wife Pam. As I finished the team had a surprise for me, my nephew and god son, Tom had produced a unique picture of the DAD Army of volunteers. Which was surrounded by pictures of the front covers of all 20 DAD programmes. It is absolutely fantastic.

As I travelled back to the event site I headed over to the Arts marquee where it was very evident from the huge crowd inside and out, that the changes we had made by moving the marquee into a central position and removing the main entertainments arena had worked. That was one cost cutting exercise that had worked a treat. By two o'clock it was virtually impossible to travel against the incoming crowds in the marquees, and as I revisited the front entrance it was clear to see that visitors were still arriving in the droves. As I headed back to the event site I chatted to visitors who were keen to share their thoughts on how the day was going, every single one was full of praise for what we had achieved. I am looking forward to seeing the footage from the Big Brother Booth, especially the responses to the question about what did you think about today's event! During the day I had been interviewed by WIRE FM, Warrington Radio and Radio General, plus several people with video cameras. But the best was showing Granada TV's team around the site and being interviewed for a piece they would later show on the evenings Granada Reports. The guys expressed their amazement of the size of the event and the amount of people present. They said that they were scheduled to stay for 20 minutes, but stayed for nearly two hours. You can see the DAD footage on ITV Player.

Just as we finished the interview one could hear the very loud roar of an aircraft and the cheers from the crowd as the RAF World War Two Dakota flew very low overhead. As the plane rolled to the right as it peeled away, everyone commented that it was great, then the pilot came over again, crisscrossing his previous flight path, and then again a third time. It was so low that you could see a man waving out of an open rear door. The sound and the sight were utterly amazing. During the afternoon Pam and I selected the best exhibitor award winners; Warrington Community Transport won the best voluntary sector category, Cheshire Court Services won the best statutory exhibitor and newcomers Lloyds Pharmacy was awarded best business exhibitor. At 4.15pm I took centre stage in the Arts Marquee to present the awards and to address the crowd. I was joined on stage by Miss Cheshire, who drew the winning ticket for the DAD Barbados Raffle, and the winner was one of our stewards Anne Johnston. I bet she's got lots of new friends suggesting that they could help her carry her luggage!

As we left the stage I was straight off to the Scuba Diving Pool where I met up with my dive instructor Terry Wood and his team from Cybaqua. I was there to see if WIRE FM's Pete Pinnington would take up my challenge to join me in the pool, scuba diving! Well give him credit, he did. I had suggested that he could have presented his live show from the pool, but he did remind me that water and electric don't mix. After Pete got used to breathing with his head underwater we swam around for about ten minutes, in what I will now admit was very cold water. At the time I told Pete to stop moaning as it wasn't that cold....... Just as we got dried and dressed Pam confirmed that it was 5pm, time to organise the closing of the event and clear up. Before I left Terry confirmed that he had been pleased at how much interest had been shown, many of whom had kitted up and join in. During the next two hours over 100 members of our team of stewards, assistants and park rangers stepped up to another level. Frantic, but organised activity was one way of describing it. We needed to strip down the site ready for Monday's huge list of pickups. This included clearing away hundreds of tables, over 1,000 chairs, hundreds of huge fencing panels, over 100 fire extinguishers, together with dozens and dozens of signs and banners that were packed away ready for next year's event.

After shifting hundreds of bin bags full of rubbish, one of the last jobs was a final sweep of the park with litter pickers, all of which was placed into the two huge skips. At seven o'clock Wayne announced that he would need to head off back to Thorne Cross with the lads. We got all of the stewards together; the lads lined up whilst I presented them with mementos of the event and expressed our thanks from the whole team for their support throughout the week. One could tell from their faces that one or two were somewhat embarrassed by it all, but overall they were grateful for the opportunity. One lad summed it up by saying that it was the biggest excitement that he had felt in years. As the lads headed off I was happy in the knowledge that Wayne would be treating them to fish and chips on the way back. Everyone seemed eager to assist with one of the last tasks of the day, loading up the dozens of mobility scooters onto the wagons for the trip back to Shopmobility. It was amazing how many volunteers we had when Graham shouted up for people to drive them! Just a pity Dave wasn't around to capture their antics on video. Then it was up to the hall for a well earned pint, hot food and a chance to ask the team how it went. A small group of us who were last up to the hall had to sit in the reception area, as the large dining room was packed, another sign of the size of this year's team of stewards. After our food and drink, and some very positive feedback from the team, all of which will be used to influence the plans for next year's event, Terry gave his usual toast to DAD, met with the cheer "cancel it", which might sound strange, but hey, that's Terry!

I gave a summary of my thoughts on the week, the day, and reflected back to where we started back in 1992. Once again I came over all emotional, which was made much worse when the team brought in a very large 20th Anniversary cake. I invited Pam, Gavin, Emma and Keith to join me in cutting the first slice. The cheers in the room only added to the emotions, which I can only describe as being like a football teams changing room when it wins the world cup. Before we moved outside each of the team collected their commemorative 20th Anniversary DAD pin badge and a specially designed coffee mug. Once outside we took our positions for the 2011 DAD's Army photo. Then it was hugs and kisses as we said our goodbyes to some members of the team that we wouldn't see again until next year. Just before we hand over to the security guards Pam and I had a quiet cup coffee whilst looking out onto the now deserted event site. As we sat there we shared our thoughts about the last 20 years, especially those who weren't with us anymore, Pam's mum and dad, Annette, Jim, Chris, our dog Pippa whose ashes are buried in the park and many other people who have played their part in the history of DAD. At around 10.45pm we headed off home. Along the way the electronic signs used as part of the councils Traffic Management System were highlighting DAD and the potential congestion! My last thought was, wow, what a day, no, what a week! Interestingly I don't remember getting into bed.

Day Eight of DAD Week - The Final Clear Up

As I arrived at the park at 8.30am I was amazed at how many of the marquees Paul and his team had already packed away and the thousands of tables and chairs were already loaded and ready to leave. As usual Monday's event team is much depleted as most of the original team go back to work, but this year we had extra support from three new stewards, Dave, Janis and Alan. Throughout the day our DAD and WDP vans were kept busy taking everything back to the Centre for Independent Living and Shopmobility to be pack away until next year. Jayne, Brun, Caz and the team did a great job organising teams to unload the vans and pack it away. During the day we witnessed dozens of exhibitors picking up their display items and once again Brun's plans fell into place as the larger items were taken away in wagons that seem to get bigger each year. Dave also joined us to capture one or two final frames for the DAD video which should be available on line during August.

Whilst the deliveries were taking place we had other teams out on the roads collecting many of the hundreds of signs and banners that seemed to be located on every route in and out of Warrington. Minute by minute the site was being cleared piece by piece, and by half past three we waved off Paul and his team after thanking them for a great job. Minute's later Martins team disconnected the electric the site huts and as if it was planned A-Plants low loaders arrived to take them away. Next it was the guys from Andy Loo's who supplied a range of mobile toilets, including two fully accessible units that attracted several positive comments in the feedback we received from the visitors and exhibitors. As each marquee was dismantled and loaded onto the wagons our team of litter pickers got into action. We couldn't believe how many cable ties we picked up! As the last van load of DAD stock left the park we were left in what was now an open field with a large pile of mental fencing, two large skips full of rubbish, oh, and lots of white lines on the trampled grass. Wayne and the lads left at just after 4 o'clock, and within minutes Beaver 84's huge wagons rolled on site to pick up the metal security fencing. I could see the relief on the lads faces as we realised that the wagons were fitted with HIAB crane units. At just after 5 o'clock Ian confirmed that the skips would be being picked up the following day. I gladly handed over the keys we had been using throughout the week, and Ian thanked us for the great effort in cleaning up the park. Once again on arriving home Pam and I soon fell asleep in the living room, and got off to bed much earlier than usual. Well, what would you do, after just over 140 hours in ten days back to back?

Back to Reality

On Tuesday morning it was back to work. During the next few days it was great to read the dozens of messages of support we received from exhibitors, visitors and several new stewards.

On Reflection

It's fair to say that as we reflect back on the 20th Anniversary I am feeling very proud on what we have achieved, none of which would have been possible without a great team of people who supported us financially, physically and emotionally including our management team, sponsors, supporters, stewards, exhibitors, visitors, the providers of the many support services, but not least my family who have been with me every minute of the journey. Back in 1992 nobody would ever have imagined that we were at the start of a journey that would continue to develop and attract the attention of so many people including members the Royal Family, with the Queens Award for Voluntary Services including an invitation to join Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace, a visit to DAD Week by Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex, several high profile MP's including three Ministers for Disabled People. Not to mention celebrities including the legendary Rolf Harris and Mathew Kelly, internationally known RAF Red Arrows and Dakotas. Plus overseas exhibitors from Cyprus, Spain, France and Turkey, and overseas visitors from Japan, Thailand, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Gibraltar, Belgium, Spain and Australia. Beyond our wildest dreams there have been several Disability Awareness Days that have been organised and attributed to our Warrington event, including Gibraltar, where I was invited to cut the ribbon at the opening of the event, Denmark and Sweden, and back in the UK, Cornwall, Blackpool, Shrewsbury, North and South Wales, Knowsley and South Yorkshire. Two days after DAD we received an email from a group based India who informed us that they had successfully organised a disability awareness raising event to coincide with ours. They had been following our progress on the internet. Wow, who would ever have predicted this!

DAD continues to provide a platform for small, medium and large charities and business to promote their services, plus it has an arena to launch new independent living products and services. In addition to providing over four hundred thousand visitors with information about independent living, it has been a place full of energy, entertaining and inspiring, which together have created a 'can do' feeling. Plus we mustn't forget that the charities have managed to raise over six hundred and fifty thousand pounds for their organisations. Over the years I have seen several youngsters join us volunteers, who have developed in maturity and are now stewards who have an understanding and commitment to DAD that is quite unique. Gavin, Emma, Tom, James, Robert and Will are just some of the young people that have been with us along the way, but I mustn't forget our more mature and experienced stewards including two who have only recently retired namely my dad Neville and Eddie Clements. Someone mentioned that it was great to see such a wide age range of people involved in this years event, from one six year old to one 86 years young.

Finally, for this year!

I'm still anxious about the future; the huge fundraising effort that was needed this year will be harder to repeat next year, as we know that finances are getting tighter for individuals as well as businesses. But the one thing that I know we can count on is the commitment of my fellow Trustees, staff and volunteers who together make up 'Team WDP' and the volunteers and supporters that make up 'DAD's Army'. During my summing up at the DAD VIP Reception and Stewards Debrief I underlined my philosophy that, together, we can achieve almost anything in life, and that this is true for disabled people, the difference being that, we might need a few adjustments, and/or support. I am quietly confident that we will celebrate DAD's 21st Anniversary on the 15th July 2012. Keep an eye on the website to find out how you can join us.

Until then, thank you for your interest.
Take care. Dave

Previous Years