Current Vacancies
Join us We are currently taking nominations for Trustees and Honorary Officers – Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. Are you interested in one of these
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April 2021: Update from our Chair, Penny McDonald. 
BSL video links
Chair’s update: https://bit.ly/3seU3kM
Future of Lollipop: https://bit.ly/312SKJM
Dear Members,
Thank you to all of you who attended the Special AGM (SAGM) on
2nd March and to those who voted by email. With your help we reached the minimum number of members needed (5% of the membership) to make any changes to the charity.
Our Lottery grants have meant that Lollipop can offer activities without
worrying too much about funding, but this has also placed
restrictions on how we can spend the money. Comments from a very small majority of members about the work that Lollipop does have been positive, but some feel that we have grown too big and should return to our core values…
The Future of Lollipop
Taking into account decisions made at the SAGM and feedback over the last few years, Trustees have agreed that:
• Lollipop should continue but in a more focused way. We will continue to offer local activities on a smaller scale for children, young people and families. These will focus on developing knowledge, independence, and skills for the future. We will also offer support, give information, and signpost people where appropriate.
• We will become affiliated with the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS)* Working informally with the National Deaf Children’s Society we’ve become aware of the similarities in what we offer. As well as providing their own support and activities, NDCS also offer their expertise to support local groups and can do this in a number of ways. Four of the Trustees with considerable knowledge about deafness and running charities are leaving the Lollipop Board of Trustees at the end of July. Although the remaining Trustees share some of this knowledge, the NDCS would be able to offer support to them when needed. Lollipop will
continue as a charity in our own right with our own constitution, Trustee board and funds.
• The wording in our constitution will be changed so that the roles of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer can rotate round the Board if appropriate during the year. The Treasurer and Secretary may choose not to be a Trustee.
We hope that this might encourage people to get more involved.
• Laura Walker (former Lollipop Activities Leader) will join the Trustee Board (as voted at the SAGM).
Penny McDonald, Chair on behalf of the Trustees
chair@lollipopyork.org.uk
* We hope that those of you who are not members of NDCS will consider joining as they provide lots of interesting and useful information for deaf children, young people and families. Check them out at: www.ndcs.org.uk
Who We are
Lollipop offers opportunities for children and young people with any degree of deafness from mild to profound and their families to meet and build friendships with others, with whom they share their experiences of deafness.
Lollipop achieves this through providing regular FREE social activities in a relaxed and informal environment. We offer a wide range of activities in order to provide something of interest to everyone. Through such activities we aim to encourage members to try something new, express themselves freely and realise their true potential and in doing so build confidence, increase self-esteem and develop self-identity. Lollipop also raises awareness of deafness and its implications amongst the wider community.
