2017 has been a busy year of change and development for Result CIC. And the final months were no exception.

In November we completed our programme at Liverpool John Moores University's staff with disabilities 'From Strengths to Transformation'. Participants had three 1:1 coaching sessions and 3 group workshops. Self-assessment scores showed an overall increase of over 30% against 6 criteria including self-confidence. Interestingly the biggest improvement was in the score for being able to talk about needs related to disability. We are looking forward to celebrating this success at a certificate event in January. This programme is recognised by the ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) so the participants will get access to the ILM resources and will also receive smart certificates!

November also saw us finishing our two pilot programmes at BBC North. The group of staff with disabilities decided that to make the most of the great ideas they had produced together on the course, that they would meet regularly. We are delighted to learn that they have already arranged to meet in January.

We delivered the second half of our new BBC programme for hiring managers, 'Reaching for the best' which included guest speakers from the innovative charity promoting leadership among working class young people, RECLAIM project. This was well received and we were particularly happy that participants want to now act as BBC Champions for diverse recruitment.

Also in November, Jane gave Birmingham Business School's Annual Advisory Board lecture at the invitation of its new Dean, Professor Cathy Cassell. The lecture, 'Positive Defiance' looked at how to turn challenging life experiences into positive opportunities. Feedback was really appreciative, calling the speech 'Inspiring, humbling and challenging'. Jane was particularly pleased with the level of questions afterwards which enabled some of the Deaf members of the audience to be heard by the very senior business leaders who make up the Advisory Panel. This was an example of what Result CIC does –creating situations which bring people together who may not otherwise have the chance to meet.

In early December we were happy to be invited to take part in the BBC's second 'Divercity' event at New Broadcasting House, London. We provided a day of 1:1 'Confident Conversations' coaching for staff with disabilities, following our successful participation in the first event in Salford in January. The feedback was very positive with staff finding the sessions useful for making their personal plans for the future.

Our Awards for All project to provide coaching for a group of people living with Sickle Cell has continued. On December 13th we ran the first group workshop. Andy Hilton gave a presentation on the rights of people with Sickle Cell and the social model of disability. The group then shared good ideas and tips for staying as well as possible when living with the illness. We were over the moon to learn that the recently created Sickle Cell Choir, of which several of our clients are members, is doing so well that it was invited to perform at the MOBO awards and has released a Christmas disc!

There are plenty of new ideas in the pipeline but it is time to down tools and have a well-earned break for at least a few days. We hope you all enjoy yours!

Happy Christmas.