Wrexham County Forum

Wrexham County Forum was established in 1997 when the unitary authorities split into four areas.

The Wrexham Forum for Learning Disabilities is an independent organisation financed by the Wrexham Borough Council. It is an arena for bringing together people's views and promoting its members voices effectively. The Forum is a place for people interested in services for people with learning disabilities to come together and speak on common issues.

The membership consists of people with a learning disability and their interest groups, parents/carers and their interest groups and voluntary organisations who offer a service or support to people with a learning disability.

The main aims of the Forum are : To ensure services meet the needs and choices for people with a learning disability, to represent its members views, to convey its members views effectively to service providers, to encourage the development of services to meet the needs of people with a learning disability, and to establish ways of communication between families, voluntary organisations, statutory agencies and the general public.

Learning disability services were based on a philosophy known as the All Wales Strategy. Money was injected into the services to develop them around the philosophy. The philosophy was about change of services from traditional services to community care services, such as moving people of hospitals to allow them to live an ordinary life within the community using community facilities and resources. Up until April 1997 funding for the learning disability service was ring fenced, but since then there has been no guarantee to protect this money for the learning disability service, so it is very important that Forum safeguard services and develop and maintain services for people with a learning disability.

Ray Jarvis

He has been Chair of the Wrexham Forum for Learning Disabilities for four years, attending meeting approximately three times a week. In addition to this he also finds time to be involved in the running of the Cunliffe Club for people with learning disabilities, meeting every Tuesday evening for leisure, sport and organising trips.

He organised a Mencap Indoor Games, bringing together clubs from all over Wales to compete against each other.

In 2008 Ray was awarded the OBE for services to the learning disability services from the Queen.

In 2001 he received a certificate acknowledging his outstanding contribution made to people with learning disabilities by National Assembly for Wales.

Ray single-handedly brings up a Son with a severe learning disability, who is need of constant 24 hour care.

Gaynor Pugh

Gaynor took over the position of Co-ordinator for the Wrexham County Forum over when Clwyd County Forum was reorganised in 1996. This is a part-time post and includes attending many meetings on behalf of members of the Forum, producing the Wrexham Forum News newsletter, and organising an Open Meeting with a guest speaker every quarter.

She was presented with a certificate acknowledging her outstanding contribution made to people with

learning disabilities by National Assembly for Wales in 2001. In 2003 she was presented to H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh for her services to people with learning disabilities.

Gaynor is married to husband Tony, and has two sons and twin daughters.

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