Driving strategic development at RAY Ceredigion

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RAY Ceredigion operates in a rural area of West Wales, where public transport is poor, access to services is limited, and poverty rates are high.

Over the years, RAY has expanded its services to meet the growing needs of some of the most vulnerable and isolated groups in the county, including families with young children, children and young people, young adults with disabilities, and older adults, including those with dementia and their carers.

RAY’s work is driven by community needs, and in response, have recently established a support group for parents of children with disabilities. It also runs a monthly Repair Café, launched a Men’s Shed initiative, and provides free outdoor play sessions across the county.

Gill Byrne, Executive Officer, shares their insight of the charity’s progress after winning the Weston Charity Awards.

What motivated you to apply for the Weston Charity Awards?

We applied to the Awards because we wanted to focus on our future and part of that was to review both our management structure and funding model. We saw the Pilotlight team as a ‘critical friend’ who could give us a 360-degree review of our operations and how we approach the challenge.

How did the Pilotlight 360 programme go?

The process has been interesting and, at times, challenging. Due to our rural location and the lack of funding and infrastructure compared to other areas, we were not sure if the Pilotlighters fully understood us. 

However, it became a valuable learning experience for both sides. 

The programme has been excellent in highlighting the strengths within our trustee group, who have fully embraced the Pilotlighters’ engagement. Their efforts have helped create a bond between voluntary trustees and paid management staff, uniting them in a common goal with inspiring results.

What have been the results after the programme?

As a result of the Pilotlight 360 programme we have; revised our entire management structure, redefined how and when we review our financial position and commissioned a five-year development strategy. 

The strategy involves input from our trustees, key stakeholder agencies, staff and volunteers, all of whom are invited to contribute to the production of the final document.

Could you provide a sentence or two describing your experience of the programme? 

Being involved in the Pilotlight 360 programme is like holding up a mirror to your organisation. It provides the time and opportunity for self-reflection whilst being aided and supported by a skilled team of external advisors – the Pilotlighters.

We knew that the issues we were facing were important, but what we lacked was a timescale to work through it, and Pilotlight provided the external impetus and structure for us to achieve great things.