About us

POSITIVE CHOICES From little oaks mighty acorns grow!

POSITIVE CHOICES is the only conference designed to enable student nurses celebrate the contribution they make to the lives of people with a learning/intellectual disability. 

It has no core sponsorship and relies on the goodwill on 5 Universities (who let us plan and facilitate the conference in our spare time) the speakers who give their time and talents freely; and organisations like yourselves who sponsor the event each year.  Why do we do it….

 

“In the spring of 2004 a group of my personal students attended an RCN jobs fair. 
‘We don’t want RNLDs’ they were told
‘You’d have been better off switching to mental health’ some advised
‘But we want to be LEARNING DISABILITY NURSES’ they said

The result was Positive Choices and it has now been running since 2004.

Some things you don’t know about the conference:-

1. Each University that hosts the event provides the venue free of charge
2. Every other thing we have to pay for, we fund raise, ask for sponsorship, and pull in favours so you have a free conference.
3. Every speaker gives their time free too, which saves us a fortune!

We would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of you for your dedication and commitment to the people whose lives you touch and help to make POSITIVE CHOICES.

 

Helen Laverty University of Nottingham

Julie Toms Ashcroft Edge Hill University

Jo Lay University of Leeds

Jo Welch Hertfordshire University

 

The Organisers

Click on a person to read their profile

Jo Lay, Leeds University

David Charnock University of Nottingham

Elaine Drummond

Helen Laverty University of Nottingham

 

Lynne Marsh University College Cork

Julie Toms-Ashcroft, Edge Hill University

Jo Welch, University of Hertfordshire

Thanks also go to those that helped us on our way, and there were many of you!