Message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees

After 11 years at the helm as founder and CEO of YESS Julie Bird has taken the decision to retire and will leave her role during 2023.

It is true to say she has been, and will continue to be, more than just the founder of YESS. Her leadership, enthusiasm and counsel will be missed by all those who have worked with her.

We move into 2023 with a clear set of objectives and new operational leadership. Julie’s role as CEO will be hard to fill, and therefore we have taken the decision not to try.

Going forward, from 1st April, our Clinical and Commercial Managers will absorb some of Julie’s current responsibilities, the remaining, and the overall accountability for leadership of the charity will be carried out by the new role of Charity Lead, reporting to the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Recruitment to fill this role is currently underway.

Our service levels will remain unaffected by this change, and we will continue to deliver our usual high standard of care and commitment to all our service users through our fantastic team of therapists, counsellors and volunteers. Our values and ethos remain the same and I am confident that, with the skills and enthusiasm that our team all bring to YESS, we will be able to deliver on these in order to provide a safe space where people can safely explore their diverse mental health and well-being needs remains high.

All that remains is for me to express, on behalf of the Board of Trustees and the entire YESS family, our heartfelt thanks to Julie for her commitment enthusiasm and leadership of YESS over the last 11 years.

James Tye, Chair of the Board of Trustees

Message from Julie Bird, CEO – YESS

For the last 12 years YESS has been an integral part of my life. During this time, I have had the privilege of being supported by the most amazing set of staff and trustees that have helped YESS become the highly respected charity it is today.

I feel so honoured to have seen many therapists develop their skills during their time at YESS. We have helped so many individuals with their diverse mental health needs and offering support has been my greatest joy to see clients and families develop skills to enable them to move forward.

Therefore, after much heartache I have taken the decision to retire from this role in order to spend more time with family and friends who have supported me whilst setting up and running YESS. I feel currently that I am leaving YESS in a strong position knowing that the charity has firm plans in place for future development and growth.

The future will be very different for me moving forward, however, I am honoured to have led YESS to be the highly regarded and respected charity it is.

Published 9th January, 2023