Outsiders began as a private social club for socially and physically disabled people. In order to be totally secure and accepted by other disability groups, we decided in 1982 that we should become registered with The Charity Commission. The Trust Deed was drawn up by a lawyer at The National Council for Voluntary Organisations. When we found out that the name 'Outsiders Trust' was not available to us, we registered as 'The Social and Habilitation and Integration Trust', much to the amusement of some (but not of others). Eventually, the name Outsiders Trust became available, and we changed to the current name in 2001 with a Supplementary Trust Deed.
Our Trustees are pioneers in the world of sexuality and disability and have included great names such as Dr. Tony Lake, Ann Darnbrough and Mary Lynch. The board has evolved over the years and, like many small charities, we constantly seek more experienced professions to join the Board and give us their time.
The Trustees are guided by the Advisory Group which consists of the most capable disabled members of Outsiders, those who have time and energy to attend the meetings. Most of the group consist of our Coordinators and office Volunteers. The structure of Trust is as follows:
The responsibilities of The Trustees are to ensure:
The Annual Report is compiled by the Trust Coordinator, Dr. Tuppy Owens and the Financial Report compiled by our Accountant, Dorothy Burr.
Trustees meetings are held four times a year, led by the Advisory Group. The AGM is held annually where Outsiders members can elect the Accountant, meet the Trustees and the Advisory Group and voice their opinions.