David has had a profound and lasting impact on so many people’s lives. He was a gentle-natured man, full of care and charisma, who loved maps, photography and telling lots and lots of stories. Always ready to help someone in need, David treated everyone who came to him as a friend and made them feel valued, whoever they were. Family Equip has been grown around this wonderful man and his message, and our volunteers are determined to continue his work.
Countless young people and their families would not be where they are without David’s support. His legacy lives on in those young lives he changed over the 21 years he led Family Equip, including several of our volunteer team.
With the help of a number of friends, David founded Family Equip in September 2004. This was after a career in teaching which he ended in 1985 to pursue self-employed support work, including developing a number of community-focused charities such as the Family Support Centre in Shirley, and working as a parent partnership officer for Solihull for some years with Solihull Special Needs Active Partnership.
With a small team with many different skills, David established a clear vision and set of policies for Family Equip's future, and in 2006 with enthusiastic encouragement from parents, Family Equip launched their first therapeutic clubs.
Around the same time, David studied children’s mental health services at Leicester University’s Greenwood Institute and became involved in research, especially around emotionally based school avoidance.
Thank you for everything, David.
We hope you are enjoying your rest.