Pam Stirling

My name is Pam Stirling and I am the Chair of the Board for Sheffield Flourish.

I’ve been working with Sheffield Flourish since the start in April 2011 when I was coming up with ideas and then formally from March 2012 when we became a company.

I got involved because I wanted something different to happen in mental health. Social enterprises had started happening and the original projects (Oasis and CAST) wanted something more than being parts of the NHS. I wanted a bridge from my NHS Trust Strategic development job into retirement, and this project offered the perfect opportunity to combine these plans.

Officially with my role on the Board, I am responsible for the governance of the company and the charity. So, I chair the meetings, represent Sheffield Flourish, sign off things, and receive a lot of information which I process. I work together on specific developments with colleagues. I support and supervise the Managing Director. I organise a development group with the Project leaders and I try to get to see volunteers as much as possible in amongst all of this.

Working with Sheffield Flourish is very enjoyable for lots of reasons as it really is different; I have excellent and exciting colleagues all round, paid and voluntary, which means we keep looking ahead and innovating. I see people growing and changing every day and it really has provided a great addition to my career. This role has benefited my life as it has made my leaving the NHS and my formal career a gradual and welcome process. I also have a new bunch of friends/colleagues across the city which is great.

Ultimately, I am so thrilled that the ideas we had in spring 2014 have resulted in such a brilliant digital hub, which has caught peoples’ imaginations so well, and is being managed excellently. It’s a great sign of things to come for our city!