1990
People first started up in the adult training centre in Carlisle. Its first name was the ‘Kingstown Self Advocacy Group’. The first members included Fred Spedding, Andy Docherty and later Louise Townson. It started when volunteer Rohhss Chapman came in to talk about advocacy. The first office was in a support workers living room.
1993
We raised funds to send people to self advocacy conferences in the UK. We went to the international self advocacy conference in Toronto and changed our name to people first. We started to network with other self advocacy groups in the UK. We got some funding to get a development worker and some support workers. We started to provide training about advocacy.
1994
We moved into an office on Earl Street in Carlisle. Andy Docherty became project director of Carlisle. The ‘We Are Here’ county group became Cumbria People First.
1996
We got lottery funding and moved into a new bigger office in Finkle Steet. We worked with Your Rights Your Voice in West Cumbria. In 1997 we attended the international self advocacy conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Carlisle people first research team formed in 1998. We ran a 3 day national conference on sexuality and relationships at Newton Rigg College. We became involved with ‘Europe People First’ which led to some exchange visits to Hamburg and Sweden.
2000
We got more funding and continued to develop projects. Rohhss Chapman left to study for her PhD. We started to support groups in Whitehaven and Cockermouth. They later joined together and formed West Cumbria People First Limited. We secured some funding from health and social services. West Cumbria started to develop groups in south Cumbria. We were involved with the consultation for the white paper, Valuing People.
2001
We supported a new group to start up in Ulverston. We opened an office in Cleator Moor and got our first west development worker David Blacklock. In 2002 we attended the Inclusion international conference in Melbourne, Australia. We presented four papers. The research team held a two- day ‘National History of People First’ workshop in Birmingham. They also undertook a study of five people first groups across the UK.
2003
West Cumbria opened a bigger new office in Workington and took on new support workers. All groups in Cumbria form one voice. People first also opened an office in Penrith and took on support workers.
2004
Carlisle people first moved into an office with Dace, (disability association Carlisle and Eden) as part of the independent living centre. We started “Young People First” for people aged between 16 and 24 in West Cumbria. The research team started their project on ‘Advocacy and Autism’. We held a Women’s Conference in Penrith and developed a women’s speaking up group and project.
2005
We developed a new group in Barrow, meaning we now supported 7 different speaking up groups. We set up ‘Voice of the Voiceless’ a speaking up group for people who do not verbally communicate in ways that we can easily understand. The women’s project was funded.
2006
We took on new staff in south Cumbria, we begin our Heritage Oral History research project employing John Dias as a co-researcher. Andrew Matthews became the first paid chief executive in Cumbria.
2007
Ulverston and Barrow groups joined together and form ‘Furness People First’. We launched ‘Kendal People First’. South Cumbria People First was set up as a separate company. We started working with Lindeth College and started ‘Young People First South’. The research team undertook a study on direct payments.
2008
We now have many different speaking up groups, Workington, Maryport, Carlisle, Kendal, Furness, Womens Group, Young People First West, Young People First North, Voices of the Voiceless.
2009
Directors from all three People First groups started to think about working much more cloesly together, eventually having a meeting and deciding to explore the option of pulling all companies into one.
In September we were awarded the Learning Disabilty contract for the whole of Cumbria, this meant we had to double in size, take on lots of new staff and start to provide crisis and citizen Advocacy.
We developed a model of Advocacy called Advocacy Plus, helping to give people the support they needed, making sure that we helped people to have less crisis situations in the future. We provide training, research, workshops, information sessions, telephone support and signposting.
2010
In April 2010 all three People First organisations in Cumbria joined together to form People First Independent Advocacy. The new company has directors from all areas of Cumbria. Joining together has helped us to become stronger, save money and have a louder Voice!
In September 2010 Carolyn Watson became our Chairperson, she has given the organisation a clear vision and direction.
Carolyn has already put in place many changes which has meant more responsibility for our members and directors.
2011
A year of change, the new goverment is making cuts to public money bigeer than ever before, this is having an effect of People First and the way we support our members.
Despite the cuts, we are moving into a new building in Carlisle, the office is bigger, has a large confrence room and better more accessible facilities for our members. We plan to share the office space with other voluntary organisations helping to share the cost.