A message as shared by Recovery Cymru:
To our brilliant referrers and partners,
We are writing to share some exciting news about the next chapter of Recovery Cymru and a planned change in our leadership later this year. We also want to reassure referrers, partners and the people you support that Recovery Cymru’s support offer will remain fully available throughout this transition and beyond.
A change!
We would like to let you know that Sarah Vaile will be stepping away from the Director role later this year, following 16 years of leadership, dedication and commitment to Recovery Cymru, since Founding the organisation in 2010. Sarah will be moving into a two-day-a-week Strategic Projects and External Partnerships role for at least the next 12 months.
This new role will focus on external partnerships, developing new projects and supporting income generation. It builds on what our members, partners and recent reviews have told us and will help strengthen the long-term sustainability of Recovery Cymru. This is vital work, particularly at a challenging time for the charity sector, and Sarah is uniquely placed to take it forward. Sarah will continue working closely with partners and referrers in this focused role.
This means we will be recruiting a new Director. We will be looking for someone whose values align with Recovery Cymru’s ethos, who can provide hands-on leadership, and who is well placed to support and lead our recovery community. We are excited by the opportunity to welcome fresh energy and new ideas while remaining firmly rooted in the strong foundations and values we have built together over the years. Sarah will remain in her current role until a new Director is appointed later this year, ensuring continuity throughout the recruitment and transition process.
But our community and offer is not changing!
- We also want to reassure you that our support offer remains unchanged. There are no changes to referral pathways, partnership commitments, the Recovery Centre or any of our existing programmes.
- Referrers can continue to signpost and refer people in the usual way, and people already connected with Recovery Cymru can continue to access as usual. Our recovery centre, peer support, groups, activities, volunteering opportunities and community activities remain the same, and existing programmes will continue. Please continue to signpost and refer people to us in the usual way.
- If you need any updated Recovery Cymru publicity information, referral details or leaflets, please let us know.
Thank you and next steps!
As we pause and reflect, what began as a single support group in 2008 has grown through the strength of the recovery movement, the spirit of peer support, and the commitment of many remarkable people along the way. We have achieved a great deal together and want to take the opportunity thank you for your continued support, trust and collaboration!
This next step is an exciting time for our charity, and we hope you will join us in it by welcoming a new Director and exploring new opportunities with Sarah. Over the coming months, we will begin the first phase of our transition and change programme. We will keep referrers and partners updated at each stage and are very happy to answer any questions by email, phone or in person 😊.
Exciting times ahead!
Sarah and the Board of Trustees
A note from Sarah
It has been an honour, a privilege and a wild adventure to be the Director of Recovery Cymru for the past 16 years! I never could have guessed where volunteering to run a support group in 2008/09 would lead! As I reflect on the journey we’ve taken together, it’s our people, sense of community and the spirit of peer support that continue to inspire and motivate me. People showing up, for themselves, for one another, family and friends, and the power of recovery. Shame, stigma, the grip of addiction can be powerful – but together we show that recovery is possible, sustainable and transformational. None of this would have been possible without the support of so many people – to me, to our community, to our vision. Thank you all!
For me personally, as I seek to explore the next phase of my own journey, alongside my new role in Recovery Cymru, I’m delighted to remain part of the RC story, something that has been so important to me for so long. As I prepare to move into a new role where I will continue to champion our recovery community and work on sustainability to ensure the magic that is the peer recovery community thrives for years to come, it is a time of reflection, celebration and fresh starts.
I eagerly await welcoming and supporting an incoming Director in their new opportunity to lead a very special charity. The ethos and values of Recovery Cymru are special. They will be at the heart of this transition, our future work and how we welcome and support a new Director. With the power of the community behind them and a truly brilliant Trustee board who knows where they will lead us!!
It brings me joy to introduce this next phase in our story and I hope you will come on this journey with us.
