Annual Review 2026

Celebrating 50 Years of The Action Group

This year marks an incredible milestone for The Action Group as we celebrate 50 years of breaking down barriers, creating opportunities, and supporting people to live the lives they choose.

Our 50th Annual Review is more than a look back at the last year. It is a celebration of the people, families, staff, volunteers, and communities who have shaped our story over the past five decades. From inspiring personal achievements to organisational milestones, the review captures the resilience, determination, and compassion that continue to define The Action Group today.

Welcome to The Action Group’s Annual Review 2026

As I step into the role of CEO during our 50th anniversary year, there is no denying that the current financial climate is placing our organisation and the wider social care sector under real strain. We are facing the heavy burden of increased Employer National Insurance contributions alongside continued downward pressure on local authority funding, following many years of real-terms cuts. Even in the context of those challenges, this anniversary gives us an important opportunity to reflect on who we are, what we have achieved together, and why our work still matters so deeply.

As I look back over the history of The Action Group, I am reminded that serious challenges are not new to us. Time and again, this organisation has faced adversity, adapted with determination, and continued to make a real difference in people’s lives. That history is not only a source of perspective, but of pride.

Our very existence was born out of crisis and necessity. When we were founded in 1976 by a small, determined group of parents, community services for people with learning disabilities were practically non-existent. What they created was not just an organisation, but a lasting expression of hope, determination and belief in a better future.

Fifty years is long enough to learn something about adversity. If there is a single thread running through The Action Group's history, it is that the challenges have never really stopped — and that we have never let them define us. Every decade has brought its own version of difficulty: shifts in political will, the squeeze of funding, the slow grind of austerity, and a pandemic that asked us to remake how we worked almost overnight. What stands out to me, looking back, is not only the scale of those challenges but the consistency, creativity and care with which people across the organisation have responded. Each time, we have held firm to why we exist, while adapting how we work to keep that promise alive. Resilience, for us, has never meant simply enduring. It has meant adapting without losing sight of who we are. The barriers we set out to remove in 1976 have not disappeared; some have changed shape, and new ones have emerged. But fifty years on, The Action Group is still here, still responding, still evolving, and still doing the work it was founded to do.

The case for The Action Group being able to navigate hard times is not theoretical. The evidence is there in everything we have already come through, and in what we have achieved along the way.

And that is what gives me confidence as I look ahead. Not optimism for its own sake, but confidence grounded in fifty years of evidence — in the people who choose to work here, in the families who placed their trust in us at the very start and continue to do so today, and most of all in the people we support, whose lives are at the heart of everything we do. The financial pressures ahead are real, and I will not pretend otherwise. But The Action Group has never been an organisation that simply waited for easier times. We have always met the moment, adapted with purpose, and come through with our values intact. As we mark this 50th anniversary, we do so with pride in all that has been achieved, gratitude to all those who have shaped our story, and determination for what comes next — because the barriers are still there to be removed, and there is no organisation better placed, or more committed, to keep removing them.

Board Report:

Welcome to The Action Group’s Annual Review for 2026 and, more importantly, our 50th Anniversary. Much has happened to us over this time. It has been quite a journey and many things have changed since 1976. How do you feel when change affects you? How do you react – is this good for me, is this awful or do you just feel unsure and anxious? All these reactions are understandable and normal but what does change mean to a charity like ours?

It was 50 years ago that a group of Edinburgh parents came together to create a better future for their children. The vision our founders created was inspirational and this still drives us today. Whatever the circumstances, we are dedicated to assisting those with support needs or Learning Disability overcome barriers to their chosen lifestyle and are able to follow the path they choose.

This year we have been faced with quite some considerable changes affecting our charity. We have had the cost-of-living crisis which has been prolonged by the war in Iran. We have had the uncertainty that elections bring, not knowing how this will affect your benefits and social care policy. This uncertainty has impacted on our councils as they looked to review support packages and no further progress has been made on promised support workers’ pay improvement. These changes have affected all of us in one way or another.

We started the year with the announcement the monies we give back to the Government through National Insurance contributions was to increase. This amounted £568,000 from the charity’s income with nothing received back in return. This money could only come by finding efficiencies which we achieved without affecting the daily support we provide.

Linda Tuthill’s retirement after 34 years with The Action Group marked a significant change. Widely admired for her leadership, dedication, and compassion, she leaves a lasting legacy as she begins an exciting new chapter. Her departure gave the Board an opportunity to reflect on future leadership, leading to the appointment of Paul McCrory as our 3rd ever Chief Executive following a competitive recruitment process. I know he has everyone’s support as he settles into this new role.

In reflecting over the various changes we have faced in the last year I have come to only one conclusion. Change is inevitable and necessary if we wish to support the people we work for build positive, enjoyable lives. Whether the change is imposed upon us or our own choice we have to look at how we can find the opportunities to grow and build better services.

None of this can be done without you and all our staff coming together and making the change for a better future a reality. Our founding parents can be proud of their achievements and the legacy we carry forward. That is why we are called The ACTION Group!

Reaching 50 years is something to celebrate, but for me it isn't about looking backwards. At fifty, we don't count the years behind us - we count the opportunities still ahead.

As leaders, our responsibility isn't simply to preserve what we've built - it's to create what comes next. We have an incredible opportunity to shape the future of The Action Group by being ambitious, listening to each other, and never standing still. The best organisations are those that never believe they've finished improving. We need to keep asking difficult questions, embracing new ideas, and finding better ways to support people to live the lives they choose. That means being open, honest, and willing to learn from one another.

Whether you are someone we support, a family member, a colleague your ideas matter. Leadership is not about having all the answers. It's about creating an environment where people feel heard, valued, and inspired to make things better. Tell us what we are doing well, challenge us to do better, and help us become stronger. Our next 50 years will be shaped not by looking back, but by listening, learning and moving forward—together.

"The best is yet to come." — Frank Sinatra