IT is all change at Warrington-based national adult health and social care charity Making Space which is celebrating 35 years with a new logo and CEO.
After working for the past three years as director of development Rachel Peacock has been announced as the charity’s new chief executive officer – and with the appointment comes a fresh logo and brand for Making Space, to reflect the significant changes the charity has seen over the last few years.
Liverpool-born Rachel’s appointment comes at a time of growth for Making Space, which she oversaw in her role as director of development. The charity, which was established in 1991 to support people with schizophrenia and their families, saw a major shift in 2012 when it opened up its services to all people who are in need of care and support, including mental health conditions, older adults and people with learning disabilities and dementia, and their carers.
Rachel said: “I applied for the role because, after being with the organisation for over three years, I felt that I understood its complexities in depth. Every day I learn something new about a service we are delivering or hear about a great success of one of our service users or volunteers. I wanted to continue the legacy of an organisation that is fearless in the face of change and determined to be uncompromising on delivering high quality services.”
With responsibility for overseeing the brand makeover Rachel was very keen to ensure that it symbolised the evolution of Making Space and what it now stands for.
“Our new logo is inspired by a petal – a positive symbol of prosperity, growth and development,” she said.
“It’s made-up of three different coloured petals, representing the diverse people we work with and support, and the variety of services we deliver. As the petals come together they create a heart, which represents how we are stronger for our differences. At the heart of everything we do is our shared ambition of making a difference to people’s lives.”
As CEO, Rachel plans to ensure that Making Space continues to respond to the changing social care environment and ensure that the principles of the Care Act, in providing choice and control in care needs, are prioritised in service delivery.
“I’ll ensure we do so with the passion and professionalism for the people we support that we have always had,” she said. “We need to keep listening to what the people we support tell us they want from our organisation, as well as take every opportunity to be innovative in how we deliver services.”
Rachel has worked in the charity and care sectors since she graduated from Liverpool John Moore’s University with a degree in English and History in 1991. She began her career on the frontline of support services, including roles with Healthwise Helpline, Liverpool CVS and a stint as a youth worker for Liverpool City Council.
In 1996 she became a developmental team leader for Wigan CVS, and was appointed chair of Wigan Homestart’s trustee board in 1998. In 2001, Rachel became director of grants for the Community Foundation for Merseyside, before moving to Action for Children in 2006, where she held several leadership roles before moving to NYAS as business development manager in 2011. She was appointed director of development at Making Space in 2013, and will complete an Executive MBA at The University of Liverpool by 2018.
The new CEO intends to channel her significant experience into achieving “phenomenal outcomes” at Making Space. “I want to create a culture where our workforce can bring new ideas to the table and we can try new ways of working together,” she said. “We need to share in the successes and share in the learning when things don’t go to plan.
“I want to lead an organisation where the people we support and our employees know they can approach me and give me honest feedback about what we do well and what we can improve.”
