Over the past year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to live a good life. When I talk about a ‘good life,’ I don’t mean something perfect or polished. I mean a life with purpose. A life where you feel connected to those around you, and free to do the things that make you feel good.

For me, purpose comes through my work. Being Chief Executive of United Response is a privilege because it gives me the chance to contribute to something that genuinely matters. My family gives me purpose too, being there for my daughters as they navigate teenage years. And essentially for me there’s movement: lifting weights, running, being outside, walking every day. These are the things that make me happy.

What matters to me personally is only one example. What matters to people we support is entirely individual, exactly as it should be. A good life might mean how they start their morning, how they decorate their home, whether they prefer a shower or a bath, or how they build friendships and meaningful relationships. It might be gaining confidence on public transport, finding a job, moving into their first home, or learning to make a cup of tea independently. Our job is to understand what matters to each person and help them achieve it.

Why this moment matters

United Response has been delivering support for 53 years, and in that time we’ve achieved brilliant things. But the world is changing. Over the last 10 months, through countless conversations with people we support, colleagues and families, one thing has become clear: now is the time to define our future with confidence and ambition.

One of my first visits in this role was to the People’s Forum in Derby. They told me something that has stayed with me ever since. While they felt well supported by United Response, they wanted us to go further, so all disabled people could experience the same safety, respect and opportunities. That challenge became one of the foundations of Our New Big Plan.

As I’ve travelled to almost 40 places across the country, from farms to homes where people are supported, cafés to allotments, I’ve heard a consistent message from colleagues too. They want to deliver outstanding support every day, in every place. They want us to be more ambitious, and bolder.

Our New Big Plan is our response.

What the last 12 months have taught me

I’ve enjoyed every job I’ve ever had, from Support Worker to Social Worker, to Director of Social Services and regulator. But, without question, this is the most joyful job I’ve had so far. The visits have been the highlight, speaking with people we support about what truly makes a difference in their lives, and seeing our frontline colleagues bring our values to life with such dedication.

I’ve also seen the strain. Colleagues working incredibly hard during a financially challenging year. We’ve made huge strides, but we need everyone pulling together as we strengthen our financial position into the next year.

I’ve learned there is remarkable commitment here and a real desire to be outstanding. And while we already do brilliant things, we have more work to do to achieve the consistency we want and people deserve.

What’s driven our new Big Plan

Three ambitions sit at the heart of the Plan, shaped by what we’ve heard and seen.

To be an outstanding provider of choice. Because ‘good enough’ isn’t good enough, not for the people we support, families or colleagues. Over the last year, colleagues have been clear that this is what they strive for, and it’s what people we support rightly expect.

To be the most co‑produced charity in the UK. We already have strong foundations at individual, place and organisational levels: from people shaping their own support to influencing senior recruitment, our strategy, and sitting on our safeguarding board. But co‑production is never finished. There is always more we can do.

To improve the lives of all disabled people. Our People’s Forum asked us to think bigger than our own organisation, and we listened. Through initiatives like My Vote My Voice and our campaigns around safety on public transport, we’re already helping people take a more active role in democracy and create change to benefit all disabled people.

What I’m most proud of

The people who work here. From my executive and leadership teams to frontline support workers, from housing to finance, to growth and digital, every person I’ve met shares the same commitment: to support people to live their best lives. This Plan reflects their insights and ambition.

What I’m most looking forward to

Growth of the right kind. We want to grow from our strengths, delivering more brilliant support in more places. We want to create new ways to support people, explore new opportunities, and continue the work that changes narratives and challenges assumptions.

Projects like Our Life Stories show the power of this. Over three years, 21 people were trained to take oral histories, capturing the life stories of 60 people with learning disabilities and autistic people.  After a month-long exhibition, these stories are now stored in the British Library, forever providing a record of people with disabilities experiences, told by them.

And finally

Strategies don’t change organisations. People do. The culture we build, the way we support one another, and the way we show up for people we support.

As we launch Our New Big Plan, I feel excited about the future we’re building and humbled by the trust placed in us by people we support, their families, and the colleagues who make United Response what it is today.

We have so much potential, so much to be proud of, and so much more we can achieve, united by our belief that everyone deserves the chance to live a good life – however they define it.