How it all started
The charity was founded in 1995 by the Shropshire Disability Consortium, providing a community based independent advocacy service for people with any disability, over the age of 18, in Shropshire & Telford & Wrekin.
Our team of advocates help people with disability deal with isolation. We help our clients to have a voice and be heard, to enable them to make their own informed decisions about their welfare. We also work hard to make sure that their service providers honour commitments and do the things they promise.
We are a local registered charity based in Oswestry and are very proud to be celebrating our 25th year.
Simon Arthur had the idea for our charity, as he recognised a need to support individuals with disabilities so that their voice could be heard. Paul Harris became the first Chair of PCAS in 2004, and remained so until he passed away in 2008. His wife Clare superseded him until 2018 when Doreen Ellis took over as Chair.
Paul and Clare Harris in 1995 when PCAS was first formed.
Our dedicated 2020 team
The charity is managed by a Board of Trustees who help PCAS to maintain its independence. The Board holds a strategic role, having responsibility to oversee effective governance and to ensure that PCAS meets its legal and charitable obligations. Our trustees have a variety of experience, interests and backgrounds and you can find out more about them on our trustees page.
Simon Arthur has been the team manager for the charity since 2004. He and the charity continue to help clients with disabilities to be as involved as they can be in decisions that affect their own lives. This includes taking the necessary safeguarding actions to prevent abuse or misrepresentation.
We currently employ a team of seven advocates working throughout Shropshire and Telford. They are trained to listen, understand and act on our clients’ issues sensitively, and for the benefit of the client.
Simon Arthur and some of our dedicated PCAS advocates.
Our purpose
We are here to help any adult (18 or over) who is struggling with:
- physical disability
- mental health issues
- hearing or sight constraints
- learning difficulties
To hear from some of our clients, please view our case studies page. They tell their own stories and talk about what having an advocate means to them and the effect it has on their daily lives.
Our fundraising and celebration
PCAS is funded totally by charitable donations, both large and small. We are a non-profit organisation.
We are really pleased that two local sister companies, Richard Burbidge and Atkinson & Kirby, have chosen PCAS as their community charity this year. In an employee vote, PCAS was selected as their preferred partner because of the positive impact PCAS has on the local community. They will be organising fundraising events, such as raffles and cake baking events on our behalf. They will also attend our own fundraisers, such as our Cabaret Evening & Buffet Supper to be held on April 11th as detailed below. Tickets still available!
Our contact details
For more information about PCAS, our contact details are shown below:
Telephone 01691 658008
E-mail simon@shropshirepcas.co.uk
Website www.shropshirepcas.co.uk