After 24 years of working in various roles across Advonet, our Deputy Chief Executive and Development Director Wendy Cork is leaving us for a new role. After starting as a volunteer, Wendy worked as an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) and trainer before developing and managing what is now Autism AIM.

She helped to get input from autistic adults from the start in developing services, including clients, volunteers and paid staff, using an advocacy approach.

Development

In April 2018, Wendy was appointed to a Development Director role. Since then, she has tirelessly worked on funding bids to maintain and strengthen our advocacy, learning disability and autism services.

Wendy was instrumental in many of our successes, including:

  • Securing funding for many multi-year projects such as LIFE, the Autism AIM – Mental Health Equity and Mental Health Access projects, Travel with Confidence and our LGBTQIA+ Out Spoken projects.
  • Maintaining our advocacy contract in Leeds and taking forward advocacy opportunities locally.
  • Initiating, growing and developing our Leeds Autism AIM service and our services in Bradford and Craven
  • Autism AIM winning the Outstanding Service prize at the 2023 National Advocacy Awards
  • Recruiting staff and volunteers with lived experience to work on projects for adults who are autistic and/or have a learning disability

Connections

Throughout her time here, Wendy also made many connections with other charities, health and care services in West Yorkshire and beyond. This was done through attending and leading voluntary sector forums, advocating for the needs of the people we work with.

Wendy has been particularly instrumental around neurodiversity, leading regional neurodiversity VCSE work and ensuring an autistic voice in necessary improvements to services locally.

She supported work such as the Advocacy Development Fund, which saw grants awarded to smaller charities in Leeds to set up advocacy work with marginalised communities.

As a colleague, Wendy has been there to listen to people and provide useful information and advice. This has been on areas such as self-advocacy, funding, project implementation, development and engagement opportunities, and making services more accessible.

Best wishes

Wendy is very well respected in the local and regional sectors. At Advonet, she has made an invaluable contribution to all we have done in the past 25 years.

We wish her all the best for the future. She will be sadly missed by staff, volunteers and Trustees.