County Councillor Graham Dalton, the newly appointed Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care at Lancashire County Council, recently visited Disability Equality North West (DENW), joining Trustee Daniel Duckworth and CEO Mel Close for a meeting in the Hub’s Casual Café area. Cllr Dalton, appointed in May 2025, expressed a keen interest in learning more about DENW and its vital regional services.
Under the leadership of CEO Mel Close, Disability Equality North West is a user-led organisation dedicated to promoting the rights, inclusion, and voices of disabled individuals across the North West. DENW delivers a comprehensive suite of services, including advocacy, peer support, benefits advice, and accessibility auditing, empowering disabled people to live independently and participate fully in their communities.
Cllr Dalton’s visit provided an opportunity to discuss DENW’s current impact, ongoing challenges, and future ambitions. The conversation centered on improving care pathways, enhancing social care sustainability, and reinforcing collaboration with local government partners.
A key conversations was the value of volunteers – volunteers bring indispensable skills, lived experience, and personal commitment. Particularly in DENW’s user‑led model, volunteers help with peer support groups, accessibility audits, outreach, and administration, tasks that both extend service reach and reinforce accountability to the communities served. These contributions are mirrored across charities nationally, where volunteers help deliver frontline services, raise awareness, and connect citizens with trusted support.
DENW’s team and members look forward to a long-term partnership with Graham and the wider County Council boards.
Photo of CC Graham on the left, Mel Close in the middle and Daniel Duckworth Denw Trustee on the right. All in the Casual Cafe with a pretty sign above their heads, all holding their brews up smiling at the camera
