More than 100 people gathered in Wokingham to celebrate the first anniversary of the Social Care Future initiative.
The initiative, launched in July last year, aims to give people with firsthand experience of adult social care services a voice in shaping the future of care in the borough.
The majority of those attending the event last week in Woodley were people with 'lived experience' of using the council’s adult social care services, either for themselves or for a loved one.
These individuals have also been included in interview panels for key roles in the councils Adult Social Care Service.
Organisations such as Citizens Advice Wokingham, the NHS, the Link Visiting Scheme, Involve Community Services, and Thames Valley Police attended the celebration.
The event was also attended by the Wokingham Borough Mayor, several councillors and senior staff from the adult social care teams.
The movement has seen success since its launch, including the creation of a Social Care Future Charter to improve social care in the borough, a series of workshops and community conversations, and the launch of a fortnightly Social Care Future newsletter to keep people informed about the latest news and advice.
The event also saw talks on topics raised during recent Community Conversations, including navigating local support, staying safe online, and energy-saving advice.
There were also workshops for people to try out new community activities, including boxercise, drama therapy, and a drumming circle.
Wokingham Borough Mayor, Councillor Adrian Mather, said: "It was great to see so many familiar and new faces come along to this celebration of Social Care Future.
"I’m incredibly proud of what’s been achieved over the past year.
"We’ve already seen real positive changes in how social care is being delivered across the borough and will continue to build on these successes as we move forward.
"We’ve already seen some great improvement happen as a direct result of these conversations, including the new residents’ reception and the changes to disabled bus passes, but we need to continue to make sure peoples voices are heard.
"Social Care Future is a long term commitment from the council and the community and I’d encourage people to find out more and see if they can get involved in the journey ahead."
The council is encouraging residents to get involved by reading about the initiative's vision and charter on the council's website, signing up to the newsletter, or emailing the council to find out more ways to contribute.
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