BuDS is seeking a Charity Co-Treasurer to join our charity trustee team. If you have strong finance, accountancy, and budgeting knowledge and skills, this role will give you the opportunity to put your expertise to excellent use in supporting the growth of this unique, dynamic, and expanding user-led charity and disabled people’s organisation.
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After a small rise last week, Covid infection levels in England have remained static this week. The risk of meeting a Covid-infected person in England remains Moderately High, with 1 in every 253 people infected as of 12 January. Thankfully, influenza infections are now past the peak of last week, but still remain very high.
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Buckinghamshire Disability Service (BuDS) is a leading disability charity operating across England. It is an independent pan-disability organisation which is not tied to Government, NHS or council contracts. Our visionary aim is to abolish disability by building a world which is Fair4All, free of the barriers which disable people. We are led by disabled people and committed to the social model of disability.
Buckinghamshire Disability Service (BuDS) is a user-led disability charity. This means that at least 75% of our trustees are themselves disabled people, and use their lived experience as disabled people to inform and shape BuDS’ policy and projects. Being a user-led organisation also means that the BuDS Trustees play a stronger and more pivotal role in the affairs of the charity than is often the case in other charities.
These two factors mean that being a BuDS Trustee offers greater opportunities to make a difference and a personal contribution than being a trustee of a non-user-led charity.
BuDS is evolving from a county charity to a national charity. This process began in 2020, when our work hugely expanded and became national in response to the Covid pandemic. Following approval from members in 2023, we aim in 2025-26 to change our name to ‘BuDS Disability Service’ and to formally re-brand ourselves as a national charity, alongside moving to Charitable Incorporated Organisation status.
The social model of disability says that ‘disability’ is caused by barriers in society and other people’s attitudes, rather than by bodily or mental impairments or conditions. People with bodily or mental impairments who encounter these barriers are ‘disabled people’ – disabled by the barrier, not their bodies or minds.
BuDS’ mission is to remove the barriers which disable people, so that everyone has equality of opportunity and access. If there are no barriers, there will be no disabled people (although, of course, the bodily and mental impairments that people may have will not have disappeared). Removing barriers is what BuDS’ projects are intended to do in all areas of life. We work for an inclusive world where disabled and non-disabled people have equal status and equal value opportunities to live their lives.
Although the social model of disability is decades old, and the ‘official’ position of the UK Government, many organisations and people still use the ‘medical model’ of disability. The medical model says that people are disabled by their bodily or mental impairments, and that the solution is to ‘fix’ the individual’s impairments through medical treatment and aids. People with impairments are often seen as inferior or broken under the medical model. If the individual cannot be ‘fixed’, the medical model tends to lead to segregation of disabled people from non-disabled people.
The BuDS Annual General Meeting for 2024 was held online on 18 January 2025. As an “unincorporated association” of disabled people, the AGM is the opportunity for our members to make key decisions including electing Trustees and approving strategies and key policies, and hearing about BuDS’ work. The AGM also formally approves the annual report and accounts.
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The long period of static Covid infection levels in England has ended, with a 70% increase in the last week. The risk of meeting a Covid-infected person in England remains Moderately High, with 1 in every 214 people infected as of 5 January. Influenza infections remain extremely high, but may have reached their peak.
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The risk of meeting a Covid-infected person in England at New Year remains Moderately High. 1 in every 296 people were infected as of 29 December, a slight decrease over the last week. However, influenza cases are still rising, although less quickly than last week. If you don’t want to be ill for New Year, now is the time to be taking precautions.
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Covid infection levels in England continue to remain roughly flat, and the risk of meeting an infected person in your everyday life remains Moderately High. There has been no significant change in Covid risk for five weeks now. 1 in every 259 people were infected as of 22 December. However, influenza cases continue to rise rapidly.
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BuDS will be taking a well-earned break from Friday 20 December 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025. So that all our trustees, staff, and volunteers, most of whom are disabled people, get the break they need and deserve, we will only be responding to urgent emails or messages. Otherwise, we’ll get back to you in the week commencing Monday 6 January 2025.
If you need to contact BuDS urgently, or about a safeguarding or safety issue, please email andrewc@buds.org.uk. Please do not leave a voicemail, as these may not be picked up.
Although BuDS generally will be taking a break from 20 December 2024 to 5 January 2025, we will continue to publish our weekly Covid risk assessments over the holiday period.
Assuming that the official data that we use for our risk assessments is published on time, we expect to publish a Covid risk assessment on or near the following dates:
If you are not using social media over the holidays, remember you can subscribe to our Substack and receive all our risk assessments direct to your inbox.
Covid infection levels in England have remained roughly flat for the fourth week in a row. 1 in every 256 people were infected as of 15 December, and the risk of meeting an infected person in your everyday life remains Moderately High. Influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) cases continue to rise rapidly – the 6th week of their increase.
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