Barnwood Circle meetups

Barnwood Circle is Barnwood Trust’s new membership scheme. It is free to join and aims to be fully inclusive and accessible.

Barnwood Circle is for anyone who wants to see changes in Gloucestershire for disabled people and people with mental health conditions. As a member of Barnwood Circle you can help make a difference by sharing your experiences, views and ideas.

An important part of Barnwood Circle is the meetups. Meetups are held 3 times a year in different areas of Gloucestershire and online, and are an opportunity for people to share ideas about what matters locally and across the county for disabled people and people with mental health conditions. Meetups are also a way for Barnwood Circle members to connect and for new people to find out about Barnwood Circle membership. In 2022 meetups covered topics including ‘accessible transport’, ‘access to green spaces’ and ‘employment’. What we hear at these meetups are written up and used to inform Barnwood’s work. For more information about what meetups are planned for 2023 please contact one of our Connectors using the contact details below.

In January we also held our first Annual Members Events. These were two accessible and interactive events for Barnwood Circle members to come together to hear about the work that has been happening over the last year and to meet up with other Circle members and the Barnwood Trust Engagement Team.

Two events were held at Llanthony Secunda Priory in Gloucester, the second day being offered as a smaller event for members who prefer a quieter setting, with the aim that as many current members as possible felt able to attend one of the days. These events were a celebration of how Barnwood Circle has come together and developed so far. Members were able to talk about their experiences of being part of Barnwood Circle as well as give feedback and ideas of how work should be developed over 2023.

The events were co-designed by a team of Barnwood staff and Experts by Lived Experience, all who are current members of Barnwood Circle.