The BuDS Annual Report covering the period of April 2022 – March 2023 was published on 31 January 2024. The Chair of Trustees’ Introduction is below, and you can read the full report and all its annexes using the buttons below.
Read MoreArticles in News
Articles in About BuDS
- BuDS Calls For More Accessible Buses
- Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 7 April 2024
- Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 25 March 2024
- Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 14 March 2024
- Navigating the World in Darkness: A Beacon of Light on International Women’s Day
- Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 19 February 2024
- Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 12 February 2024
- Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 4 February 2024
- Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 31 January 2024
- Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 21 January 2024
- Bird Flu
- BucksWorkability
- BuDDies
- Card Only Payments
- Comms and Social Media
- Covid-19
- Enquiries
- Fair4All Attitudes and Hate Crimes
- Fair4All Card
- Fair4All Education
- Fair4All Events
- Fair4All Public Spaces
- Fair4All Services
- Fair4All Visitors
- Neurodiversity and Learning Disability
- Offers and Discounts
- Reach4Work
Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 14 January 2024
Covid infection levels in England remain Extremely High, with between 1 in 32 and 1 in 43 people in England infected with Covid as of 10 January. It remains essential that everyone takes precautions to avoid catching Covid.
A range of data shows that ‘we have passed the peak’, i.e. that the near-record levels of Covid infection seen at Christmas are now declining. The number of people infected with Covid today (18 January) is probably between 1 in 42 and 1 in 69. However, even at these lower levels, the risk of catching Covid in your everyday life remains Extremely High.
Read MoreCovid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 7 January 2024
Covid infection levels in England remain at near-record heights, with between 1 in 20 and 1 in every 28 people in England infected with Covid as of 7 January. These remain Critically High levels, and it is essential that everyone takes precautions to avoid catching Covid.
As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have around 13 infected people breathing out virus for you to breathe in. In a full single decker bus, there will be 2 or 3 infected people breathing out virus. In a busy train carriage, there will be 6 or 7 infected people breathing out virus. In these circumstances, unless you wear a respiratory filter mask, you are extremely likely to catch Covid. Cloth and surgical masks do not protect you.
Read MoreCovid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 24 December 2023
Covid infection levels in England have hit near-record heights, with around 1 in every 14 people in England infected with Covid as of 24 December. These are Critically High levels, and it is essential that everyone takes precautions to avoid catching Covid.
As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have around 21 infected people breathing out virus for you to breathe in. In a full single decker bus, there will be 3 or 4 infected people breathing out virus. In a busy train carriage, there will be 10 or 11 infected people breathing out virus. In these circumstances, unless you wear a respiratory filter mask, you are extremely likely to catch Covid. Cloth and surgical masks do not protect you.
To add to the risk this Christmas and New Year period, there are 2 new variants of the Covid virus circulating. This means that even if you have had Covid recently, of have recently been vaccinated or boosted, you can still catch Covid again and be seriously ill. There is no such thing as immunity against Covid – the virus changes every time people develop immunity.
Read MoreCovid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 22 December 2023
Covid infection levels in England are Critically High, with around 1 in every 23 people in England infected with Covid, as of 13 December. Today, around 1 in every 19 people are likely to be infected with Covid, and we are expecting infection levels to continue to increase over the Christmas period. These are among the highest Covid levels ever seen in England, and it is essential that everyone takes precautions to avoid catching Covid.
As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have between 13 and 15 infected people breathing out virus for you to breathe in. In a full single decker bus, there will be 2 or 3 infected people breathing out virus. In a busy train carriage, there will be between 9 and 10 infected people breathing out virus. In these circumstances, unless you wear a respiratory filter mask, you are extremely likely to catch Covid. Cloth and surgical masks do not protect you.
Read MoreBuDS Annual Meeting 2023
Your chance to learn more about us and get involved!
The BuDS Annual Meeting for 2023 will be held online at 3 pm on Saturday 13 January 2024. This isn’t a stuffy meeting but a celebration of all we have done in this extraordinary year. There’s plenty of opportunity to ask questions and get involved in our work. This year, we are also making some big changes to evolve BuDS so that we can help more people.
Read MoreFair4All Education Transitions Surveys
We know that moving from primary to secondary school can be daunting for young people. We want to improve this educational transition for children and young people with SEND and analyse what is currently available to support them and their carers. To help us do this, we want to hear from you!
There are multiple surveys available depending on your current situation – a school professional, a support agency/service professional, a parent/carer of a young person with SEND and a young person with SEND.
Everyone who completes survey 3 has the chance to be put into a draw to win a £50 One4All gift card, accepted in over 120 local stores. Entering the prize draw is optional. Please note the draw for the gift card is only for the ‘Parent/Carer Experiences During the Transition to Year 7‘
These surveys are anonymous – you do not have to give your name or any information that could identify you. To learn more about how we use and protect your data, see below.
Read MoreEvolving the BuDS Constitution
BuDS continues to grow and develop, and our constitution needs to grow and develop too, so that
the charity has a legal form which is suitable for the future. We’d like your views about a
number of changes to BuDS’ constitution, our governing document.
If you have any questions or comments about the proposed changes, please do get in touch
with BuDS. You can e-mail info@buds.org.uk, leave us a voicemail on 01494 211179 or message us
through a social media platform. You can also send us a message through this website by clicking the ‘Contact Us’ button at the bottom of this page.
Here is a summary of the changes that BuDS Trustees would like to make to the Constitution. Members of BuDS (any disabled person from Bucks) have to approve the changes at the AGM on 13th January 2024, and some of the changes will also need to be approved by the Charity Commission.
- Make BuDS’ legal ‘area of operation’ England rather than just Bucks. BuDS would continue to work principally in and around Bucks just as it does now, with some projects operating across the South East or Thames Valley, or nationally, when it’s right and possible.
- Allow disabled people to join BuDS as members from anywhere in England. BuDS would continue to work as it does now, mainly in and around Bucks, but with the difference that any disabled person from anywhere in England who wants to join us would be able to do so.
- Allowing BuDS Trustees to be disabled people from anywhere in England. BuDS would continue to recruit only the best qualified and most passionate disabled people to become Trustees, but from anywhere in England rather than just in Bucks.
- Permit a small number of BuDS Trustees to be non-disabled people. BuDS has always recruited a few non-disabled people as Trustees if their skills and experience were vital for the charity and this change would allow this to continue, provided 75% of Trustees are always disabled people.
- Allow Trustees to change the name of BuDS from ‘Buckinghamshire Disability Service BuDS’ to ‘BuDS Disability Service’. This gradual change over time would stop people being confused whether BuDS could help them or not.
- Note that Trustees intend in due course to change the legal form of BuDS from an unincorporated association to a company limited by guarantee. This is a technical legal change which is recommended for all larger charities, and which would not affect what BuDS does and how it helps disabled people.
You can find out more about these proposals, and why Trustees think they are necessary, in the full consultation paper. This can be downloaded by clicking the download button below.
You can find the Constitution by clicking the download button below.
If you need the consultation paper or the Constitution in another format, please contact us:
Volunteer at the Chiltern Open Air Museum’s Halloween Event
Do you want to help support disabled people and get to attend an amazing event? BuDS is looking for event volunteers for the Chiltern Open Air Museum’s Halloween Event, on Friday 27th October 2023.
The Halloween Spectacular Event is back on Friday 27th October this year, it will be an evening filled with spooky fun for all ages in the unique and atmospheric setting of the Museum’s historic buildings and woods. BuDS volunteers will get free admission to the whole site, and plenty of free time to enjoy the event and museum.
BuDS is excited to support this event to be more inclusive and accessible for all disabled people. We will be supporting disabled visitors, staffing viewing areas, and providing an emergency quiet space. There will be a wide range of roles to suit everyone, even if you can only volunteer for an hour.
If you’d like to be part of the volunteer team for this amazing event, please fill in this expression of interest form, and we will be in touch! Disabled people are very welcome to volunteer, and we have a wide range of roles to suit everyone.
If you don’t want to fill in the form, you can email volunteering@buds.org.uk or leave us a voicemail on 01494 211179
Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 11 September 2023
Covid infection levels in England continue their relentless slow increase, with around 1 in every 37 people in England now infected with Covid. (This is also the rate and risk for Bucks). As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have between 6 and 11 infected people breathing out virus for you to breathe in. The risk level remains Extremely High.
Remember, Covid is airborne: the virus spreads mainly through the air. An infected person in an unventilated place creates a large invisible cloud of virus which hangs in the air like smoke, ready for you to breathe in. Because the NHS has not improved the ventilation in its buildings, hospitals and GP practices are extremely dangerous places to catch Covid. NHS staff are now required to work even if they have Covid and there are no Covid precautions in place at most NHS buildings. Do avoid hospitals and GP practices unless your visit is essential and wear a tight-fitted filter mask (FFP2 or FFP3) or respirator all the time if you have to go there.
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