WECIL Annual General Meeting 2024
Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is an important event where WECIL members can get together, hear about what we have done this year, and help decide what we do next.
An AGM is a meeting where WECIL’s members vote on important things like our finances, choosing trustees, and making sure WECIL is going in the right direction. This is your chance to have your say.
It’s important to vote because WECIL belongs to you, our members. By voting, you help make decisions that affect the future of WECIL.
How to join the AGM
This year’s AGM will be held on Tuesday, 22nd October at 1pm.
This year’s AGM will be held at
We The Curious
One Millennium Square, Anchor Road, Bristol, BS1 5DB
AGM is short for Annual General Meeting. It is an event for members of WECIL to hear about the work we have done over the last year and make their voice heard on important matters.
Members of WECIL will be asked to vote on some decisions. These include accepting our Annual Accounts, deciding who should be Trustees and changes to how WECIL is run. There is information about each of these things below
Everybody is welcome to the WECIL AGM.
But only members can vote at the WECIL AGM.
The WECIL AGM is part of a bigger event called ‘Access All Areas’.
Access All Areas is WECIL’s yearly event where we talk about how to make Bristol a better and more accessible place for everyone. It’s a fun day where we share ideas and celebrate inclusion.
To get a ticket for Access All Areas, click this link.
If you can’t use the online ticket system, call 0117 947 9911 and somebody will help you.
WECIL AGM 2024 Agenda
This is the time to arrive at the meeting and collect your voting card if you are a member.
Ruth Pickersgill, Chair of WECIL, will welcome everyone to the meeting.
Ruth will ask Members to approve the Minutes of the last AGM.
Ruth Pickersgill, WECIL’s Chair and Dominic Ellison, WECIL’s CEO, will present the Annual Report which is a document about WECIL’s achievements and challenges over the past year.
Victoria Kaye, WECIL’s Treasurer and Simon Cunningham, auditor from Moore UK will present WECIL’s Accounts for the year.
Members will be asked to vote to approve the accounts.
Members will be asked to vote to approve the appointment of Moore UK as WECIL’s auditors for 2025.
Members will be asked to vote for the people who are standing to be Trustees on WECIL’s Board.
WECIL’s Memorandum and Articles of Association is a set of rules that explains how WECIL is run and how decisions are made.
Members will be asked to vote to approve changes recommended by the Trustees.
Everyone is welcome to stay for the rest of the Access All Areas event.
What if I can't come?
Your vote matters
If you are a WECIL Member but can’t attend the AGM, you can choose to nominate the Chair of the AGM to vote on your behalf (this is called ‘nominating a proxy’) or you can choose to vote online.
To choose either of these options, please use this link. If you need support with this call 0117 947 9911 and a member of our team will be happy to help.
AGM Papers
All of the papers for the WECIL Annual General Meeting 2024 are available below. Please click the blue text to view them.
Minutes of the Previous AGM
Annual Report and Accounts Year Ending 2024 for WECIL Ltd. and WECIL Social Enterprise Ltd.
Election of Trustees
The following WECIL Members are standing for election to the Board of Trustees. To learn more about them and why they are standing, you can click the + symbol next to their name:
I have over 35 years’ experience as a Social Housing professional, with a wealth of transferable skills in policy, practice, and governance. My career has spanned managerial, operational, and strategic roles, where I’ve led varied multi-disciplinary teams in both the public and private sectors. I have extensive experience in project management and people management, and for 18 years, I have also been a foster carer. As a Bristolian by birth, I’m proud to have served as a support lead for the One City Plan in the Mayor’s Office. Additionally, I bring lived experience of disability, which fuels my passion for advocating for Disabled people.
I have a wealth of experience in roles such as being an Expert By Experience with the NHS’s Care (Education) Treatment Review Program, I spent 3 years on the Safeguarding Board, I have also worked as a peer-mentor, and I have also worked in a voluntary role for both the National Children’s Bureau and the National Autistic Society in research and campaign roles. I am also a project worker for WECIL and have previous experience with working for the WECIL Board of Trustees. I would like to become a Trustee because I am a passionate advocate for the rights of Disabled people. I also feel that, as a person with Asperger’s and ADHD, I have lived experience and want to help improve the lives of Disabled people.
I have been an active Trustee at WECIL since 2017, holding the positions of Vice Chair and Treasurer. Drawing from my legal background and extensive voluntary experience, I have contributed significantly to WECIL’s financial strategy and governance. As a dedicated member of the WECIL Access & Inclusion Team (WAIT), I work to improve accessibility and inclusion for Disabled people by collaborating with developers, organisations, and councils. My personal experience as a user of WECIL’s Independent Living Payments Support services, along with my lived experience of disability, informs my work in ensuring greater access for all. I am standing for re-election to continue advancing WECIL’s mission and to expand my efforts in improving the built environment for Disabled people across the region.
Changes to WECIL’s Memorandum and Articles of Association
New Memorandum and Articles of Association for WECIL
The changes that have been made to the Memorandum and Articles of Association are listed below. If you want to know more about why the Trustees are recommending these changes, click the + symbols to find out more.
WECIL believe that Disabled people should not be expected to contribute their expertise for free and that people should be able to be members of Know Your Rights, People’s Voice, or WAIT and still be a Trustee.
WECIL wants to simplify membership and governance, focusing on individual members. There are no organisations currently holding membership, so no one will be affected by this change.
To make sure that people using WECIL services can have a full say in how WECIL is run. People who use WECIL services can tell their representative what changes they want to see or what they want discussed in Board meetings.
WECIL aims to be more inclusive, so that younger members who use WECIL services can take part in decision-making and governance.
Co-optees are people who Trustees have asked to join the Board because they have specialist knowledge or expertise. Co-optees will have the same responsibilities as elected Trustees, making sure they take their role as seriously as other Trustees. Co-optees must stand for election at the next AGM if they want to stay on the Board.
So that all Trustees, regardless of membership status, have equal rights and can fully participate in decision-making.
Having more members give WECIL a stronger governance structure, making sure that WECIL’s are values are protected.
This will match the minimum number of members WECIL can have and make sure that more Disabled people are involved in big decisions about WECIL.
If you want to see more details about these changes, including which parts of the Memorandum and Articles of Association are being re-worded, a full explanation document is available here.
Register for the WECIL AGM 2024
WECIL Members
WECIL Members can register to attend the AGM, or register their vote if they can’t attend, by following this link.
Non-members
Non-members are very welcome to attend the AGM, but will not be able to vote. If you want to attend as a non-member, please register to attend the Access All Areas event using this link.
Getting to We The Curious
The address is: We The Curious, One Millennium Square, Anchor Road, Harbourside, Bristol BS1 5DB
Bus – We the Curious is close to many city centre bus stops. Plan your journey here.
First Bus number 8 or 9 to College Green from Bristol Temple Meads station. From College Green come down the side of Bristol Cathedral and We The Curious will be in front of you.
Park and Ride – The 902 Portway service stops next to We The Curious on Anchor Road. The M2 service from the Long Ashton Park and Ride stops on the other side of the harbour at Wapping Wharf, which is about 10 minutes walk away. The 904 from Brislington stops in the city centre. Find out more.
Train – The closest station is Bristol Temple Meads. From there, We The Curious is a 20 minute walk, a 5 minute taxi ride, a 17 minute ferry ride or a 10 minute bus ride. Visit The Trainline or gwr.com for timetable information.
Ferry – For more information on the timetabled services check out Bristol Ferry Boats and Number Seven boats.
Car – Sat Nav Reference: BS1 5LL
Follow the We The Curious symbol on the brown tourist signs.
Millennium Square car park is a safe and secure 24hr car park adjacent to We The Curious. Named by the AA as one of the best places in the UK to park your car, it is an underground car park, open 24 hours a day with on site security and lots of accessible parking bays.
Find out more about Millennium Square car park.
Please note, We the Curious is within the Bristol Clean Air Zone, so you may incur a fee if you use a vehicle to visit us. Please visit the We the Curious FAQs, or the Clean Air Bristol website for more info.
