Welcome Dear GDA friends and supporters, Some days in the GDA office it feels as though there is barely time even to catch our breath. First we say hi to David and Sam B, who have already been busy for an hour setting up the community centre and making everywhere shipshape. Then it's grab a quick coffee or tea, whilst Mary and Sue are checking messages and taking the first of what could be fifty calls in a single day; Gem gets busy on social media and nurturing our ever growing number of supporters; by 9.15am Emma is sprinting off to do her morning visits to install listening aid equipment; Sam Q is rushing to her first hearing-aid re-tubing clinic; Reg is taking a Skype call or enjoying the first of his several snacks of the day (how DOES he stay so slim, given how much he eats?!); James and Hannah are busy too on BSL interpreting assignments; and I am invariably getting ready for my first meeting of the day or settling down to write the next grant application. The kind of workload we manage each week can be colossal. And yet there are very special moments too when you realise what makes it all worthwhile. I can think of two recent ones. The first was a beautiful thank you letter we received from someone after she had been rushed into hospital with suspected meningitis and we had been able to provide a BSL interpreter in double-quick time to be by her side as she underwent not one but four lumbar puncture tests, which thankfully revealed she had a less serious form of the disease. The second was when GDA was selected as one of three finalists for the first ever Charity Governance Awards and I and two GDA Board members enjoyed a trip to London for what proved to be a very prestigious event - more about that further on in the newsletter. Enjoy reading this latest newsletter from GDA, and thank you for continuing to support the important work we do. Best wishes, Jenny Jenny Hopkins, Chief Executive JOIN US ON Facebook GDAGlos Twitter @glosdeaf Linkedin Gloucestershire Deaf Association Youtube GDAGlosDeaf GET IN TOUCH Telephone 01452 372999 Mobile GDA is open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 4pm Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL4 3JL 07875 610860 Email admin@gda.org.uk Website www.gda.org.uk 2
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