This year’s AGM was an extra special occasion. Not only were we celebrating our 10 year anniversary, but it was also Sandra Conte’s last AGM following the news of her retirement earlier this year. Sandra is the founder and CEO of Future Living Hertford. She has worked tirelessly for the past 10 years to make the charity the great success it is today.

Sandra’s opening speech…..

Sandra delivered a moving speech, where she detailed how it had been a privilege for her to have helped so many people over the years. She thanked those who had felt able to share their story with her. These stories have inspired Sandra and was part of the reason she felt it would be time to put some of these into a book. For this we obtained consent from the clients, who have been kept anonymous. 

A Story of Change book launch……

We proudly launched our book ‘A Story of Change’ at the event. The book has been written and illustrated by Future Living’s clients. The stories featured are hoped to inspire other survivors of domestic abuse, whilst raising money for the charity to enable us to help even more people. 

The book is available to purchase from our website HERE  for a donation of £15. All profits will go to Future Living Hertford. You can also purchase some of the beautiful original, hand painted artwork from the book HERE for  £18.50.

 Who spoke on the day….

The team were delighted to welcome over 60 guests on the day. Guests included our Patron, The Lord Lieutenant, Robert Voss, CBE, OStJ, our Chair, Suzy Harvey and The current High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, Annie Brewster, who also sits on our board as Vice Chair. We were also joined by other Trustees,  some of Future Living’s clients and volunteers and other partners and friends we have established since the charity began. 

Three of our clients made a speech about their journey of surviving domestic abuse and explained how our services, such as Wise Guys, The Monica Programme and our Counselling Service have helped them to become the people they are today. It is humbling to see a client come so far. It makes our team immensely proud of all they have achieved. 

The Lord Lieutenant Robert Voss made a speech. He mentioned how impressed he had been when he first met Sandra and jumped at the opportunity to become Patron. We also heard from The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, and Vice Chair of Future Living, Annie Brewster. Annie continues to establish new connections for the charity within her work. She spoke about how she came to be on the board. Our Chair, Suzy Harvey  spoke about the impact our services have on survivors of domestic abuse. She highlighted how the work Sandra and the team deliver helps to achieve this. Previous Chairman, Christopher Melluish, gave a speech thanking Sandra’s husband, Salvatore, for all his hard work in turning the building and gardens into beautiful spaces. 

Salv’s delicious buffet….

Our guests were treated to a delicious Italian Buffet, which was made by Salvatore Conte, Sandra’s husband who works hard, (often behind the scenes) but is a well respected and very important part of the team at Future Living. We also served some refreshing Pimm’s and a beautiful cake, which was made especially for the 10 year anniversary. Despite some seemingly cooler weather for the time of year! It was a great success and we are thankful to all who came. It was a pleasure for us to share our AGM and 10 Year Anniversary with you all.  

For more information about the services offered by Future Living, email [email protected]