Staff announcement

Stephen Hall will be leaving us this month. We are sorry to see Stephen move on after a busy year as Beyond Words' first CEO. We want to warmly thank him for his commitment to Beyond Words and for bringing it to where we are today. We wish him all the best in his future work.

Nick Wright, currently a Non-Executive Director of Beyond Words, will be stepping in as Chief Executive. Nick is a passionate advocate for the work of Beyond Words and has extensive experience in the publishing of board games and jigsaw puzzles. Please do say hello to Nick and help him to get to know our friends and customers. He can be contacted on nwright@booksbeyondwords.co.uk.

Professor the Baroness Sheila Hollins

Executive Director

Beyond Words

On behalf of the Board of Directors.

WORTH MORE THAN A THOUSAND WORDS

Read the new article in the Tablet by Baroness Hollins around the new book 'Going to Church'

Experience that inspired a Psychiatrist to Create a 'Wordless' Book. 

Award for Beyond Words author

Irene Tuffrey-Wijne, co-author of Beyond Words books Am I Going to Die? and Getting on with Cancer, has been awarded the Post-Doctoral Award by the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) for her work on palliative care for people with learning disabilities.

Irene also gave a plenary talk at the EAPC conference in Madrid last week, along with Amanda Cresswell, a self-advocate who has worked closely with Beyond Words for many years (see photo above).

Irene and Amanda spoke passionately about the need to listen to people with learning disabilities about the care they want and need. Their talk was described by conference organisers as “a highlight of the conference for many”.

Huge congratulations to Irene and Amanda – a fantastic achievement.

Beyond Words appoints its first Chief Executive

We are very excited to announce the appointment of our first Chief Executive, Stephen Hall.

Stephen has over 20 years of senior leadership experience in the education and wider not-for-profit sectors. He joins us from a national dyslexia charity, where he was the Operations Director, before taking on an interim Chief Executive role. 

Stephen says, "I am delighted to join such an innovative and inspiring team that is at the centre of the social and wellbeing agenda. I aim to continue the great work of expanding the scope and reach of this charitable company, enabling even more young people and adults with learning disabilities to access the life changing Books Beyond Words provision."

Stephen’s appointment also marks the departure of Danny Curtin, who has helped to lead Beyond Words for the last five years. 

Beyond Words Founder Baroness Hollins says, “We would like to thank Danny for his leadership, drive and commitment to Beyond Words, and look forward to our continued connection with him through our shared interests. Beyond Words' work supports anyone who finds pictures easier to understand than words in all aspects of everyday life, including their physical and mental health and any contact they might have with the criminal justice system.”

Danny adds, “Whilst I move on to continue work with many other charities, I feel quietly proud to leave Beyond Words in such a strong position, undertaking life changing work for people with learning disabilities, their family, friends and supporters. I know it will continue to go from strength to strength – and I look forward to staying in touch, seeing many more new books, and hearing of the growing network of book clubs across the country.”