What other people have said about us
“The Diversity Trust gave expert and interesting equality training to our staff, including staff from our Contraceptive and Sexual Health services. It was thought-provoking and challenging and has made us think about service provision in new ways.”
Lucy Nicholls, Patient Experience Manager, Somerset NHS Partnership Trust
“Berkeley Wilde supported us to recruit and train a diverse group of volunteers who are now working with us in an informed way to assess our performance and make improvements in our approaches to equality and diversity. Berkeley’s style is lively, engaging and challenging; and his creative approach enabled us to accommodate different access and language needs. The volunteers reported that they enjoyed a positive experience of training, building or extending their understanding of the Equality Act 2010, the Public Sector Equality Duty and the NHS Equality Delivery System. Individuals also felt more empowered to support or advocate on behalf of their own communities and disadvantaged groups in general.”
David Harris, Senior Equality Advisor, NHS South of England
“Next Link Domestic Abuse Services and the Diversity Trust have been funded by the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commission to work together on a pilot project to improve access to Domestic Abuse Services for […[ victims. This year long project started in June 2014 and as part of the project the Diversity Trust undertook to train Domestic Abuse specialist staff across Avon and Somerset in […] awareness and what could be put in place to improve access to services.”
“As part of the training programme, the Diversity Trust provided specific training to Next Link staff which has been tremendously valuable. The training has been well thought out, with clear learning outcomes, pitched at the right level for our staff and delivered using a variety of methods which were both informative and encouraged active engagement from participants. The evaluations from the training courses were overwhelmingly positive; but of more significance is that we have seen referrals to our services for […] victims rise significantly over the year. We have seen this across our services including Missing Link (support services for women with mental health needs) SAFE Link (Support for victims of rape and sexual assault) as well as Next Link Domestic Abuse Services.”
“All staff have an individual learning and development plan and as part of their core training undertake diversity awareness training. We evaluate all the training undertaken by staff and the training given by the Diversity Trust scored very highly. We will certainly be engaging them for future […] awareness training.”
Pommy Harmar, Senior Manager, Next Link Domestic Abuse Services
“The Diversity Trust has worked with us in the past to roll out awareness-raising and training and we hope to build on this relationship to capture the voices of […] patients. To this end, we have asked the Diversity Trust to brief our engagement advisory group and the chairs of the 75 patient participation groups in Somerset on the findings of its work and the implications when engaging and including […] patients. By learning from the Trust’s specialist knowledge and experience of working with […] other vulnerable communities, we as a CCG can ensure that the services we commission are inclusive and that […] patients’ voices inform our future service planning, re-design and delivery.”
Jill Downey, Patient, Public and Carer Involvement Manager, Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group
“Work was commissioned from the Diversity Trust on behalf of North Bristol NHS Trust in 2010. This involved research, training and engaging specific equality communities. The quality of this work was noted in a case study which was sent to the NHS on the recommendation of the national Equality lead to be used as a model of good practice nationally. This was in respect of the outcomes of research and engagement that was published as the “Seldom Heard Groups” report. Following on from this the Diamond Cluster group (this comprises equality managers from NHS Trusts, CCGS and the South West Commissioning Support Unit for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire) further commissioned work with stakeholders with diverse backgrounds to engage with all these bodies. We look towards continuing and developing our positive working relationship with the Diversity Trust in the future.”
Lesley Mansell, Equality and Diversity Manager, North Bristol NHS Trust
Feedback from some of our training participants
“Brilliant training – engaging, non-judgemental of any/all questions. Great examples given and depth of knowledge.”
Claire White, South Kent Coast CCG
“Brilliant delivery of information done in a really engaging way.”
Rosemary Sheppard, South Kent Coast CCG
“Really great training. I think all CCG staff should attend!”
Jemma Blesky, South Kent Coast CCG
“Very pleased with training content. Trainer very knowledgeable and engaging.”
Mandi Rockett, South Kent Coast CCG
“Great – fantastic to have a broad range of voices and experiences from the older LGBT community.”
Viv Moginnis, Lifecycle UK
“Great panel chat and really useful info.”
“It was a long session but it kept my attention throughout and I found listening to people’s stories fascinating.”
Ian Quaife, Bristol Older People’s Forum
“Great training course. Really informative.”
“That was so helpful, thank you for offering us a safe space to voice any issues or concerns and helping us to be a more patient, accepting and diverse team!”
Ellie Stewart, St Luke’s Community Centre
“Amazing training. Such a large upcoming topic in all aspects of life so important to be able to understand it better to support people we know / may work with. Thought provoking and definitely eye opening so many little things that aren’t considered but can definitely cause offense.”
Vicky Ford, St Luke’s Community Centre
“You are clearly very passionate about the subject / topic areas. Very open to all questions and answered in a user-friendly way. Many thanks.”
Penny Synczysz, St Luke’s Community Centre
“Very informative and enjoyable training. I will use both in my job and personally. Thank you.”
Rebecca Head, School Nurse, North Somerset Community Partnership
“Very informative sessions. Great to hear real life experiences. Creates points to think about to take back to work setting to make changes.”
“Extremely enjoyable training. Do intend to discuss with my own service and look at where we can make improvements.”
Zita Goyen
“Credible training delivered by trainers with lived experience – makes this workshop have a greater impact. Full stop.”
E Hatfield, UH Bristol
“Very informative, better understanding.”
Sue Harrison
“Very interesting and informative. Have learnt a lot of useful information. A great session.”
Lucy Hobden
“Brilliant training morning. The gender work was great as I did not have the greatest knowledge in this area. EVERYONE needs this training.”
Nicola Beakhouse
“Excellent session. Has really opened “opened my eyes” to new information. Hope I can use this information in my new role.”
“I thought this training was excellent. It was good to allow delegates plenty of opportunity to ask questions. It was helpful to hear about Harry’s personal experiences as a learning exercise.”
“Just loved the fact we should just consider being human as paramount.”
Joyce Leighton
“Very informative thought-provoking morning. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.”
Fiona Owens
“Lots of useful information with plenty to think about and ways which to make changes to the service we provide.”
Amanda Yates
“Very informative and well presented. Thank you to both presenters for their candidness made it easy to ask questions.”
Wendy Tuff
“Thank you so much, really excellent training! Great snacks! Friendly, wonderful presenters, I learnt a lot & it is great to discuss!”
Helen Schofield, Alzheimer’s Society
“Thank you so much for such an informative & inspiring session!”
“Found the afternoon very thought provoking, engaging and enjoyable.”
Debbie Wills
“Really thought having […] in the room to share lived experience was brilliant. Other training I have been on has relied heavily on videos, so great to meet people in person. Trainer was also excellent!”
Molly Singleton
“Very well delivered, excellent panel and content was of a perfect level for wide range of us in audience.”
“This training should be for all staff I work with. Real people’s stories very powerful and showed how far things have changed how much further things need to change.”
Claire Angerson, Bristol Community Links North
“I found it brilliant such an interesting subject thank you. Something that not spoken about enough. And sadly care home not enough knowledge in care home. Brilliant left with loads of ideas. Fabulous course and fabulous people.”
Mairead Mclaughlin
“Fantastic training thank you to all the speakers for sharing their lived experiences. It was great to be part of such a safe and open space.”
Mhairi Cornish, Avon Wildlife Trust
“Really great + welcoming, but also challenging. A great mix. Thank you.”
Claire Marston, Aerospace Bristol
“This was such an informative, powerful and moving training. I feel enriched and enlightened by the material presented and the personal stories that were shared. Thank you.”
Ione, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health NHS Trust
“Thank you. I will be using some of the information from today to do an action learning set with my team at work around equality and diversity. It’s great to be informed and am excited about the positive impact this group may make.”
Charlotte Devereaux, Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire CCG
“Fab session, well delivered, interesting content, plenty of opportunity for discussion and interaction. Thoroughly enjoyed it!”
Tiago Havik, University of Exeter Students Guild
“The clarity of information and range of activities were great – particularly enjoyed the ideas. Will certainly take a lot away from the session. It made me address my own unconscious bias and has given me a lot to think and talk about.”
Olivia Harvey, University of Exeter Students Guild
“Was dreading today but I actually really enjoyed the session. Thanks :-)”
“Thank you. Would you like to come again and deliver more training?”
Katie Heard, Welfare & Diversity, University of Exeter Students Guild
“Thank you so much for helping me improve my knowledge around issues of diversity and equality.”
Danielle Baines, University of Exeter Students Guild
“The EDI training provoked discussions which really made me question my outlook on life and inspired me to be a better ally.”
Taylor Watson, University of Exeter Students Guild
“Eye-opening course conducted in a safe and welcoming environment. I’ll use what I’ve learnt to better myself and help others.”
Em Maskrey, University of Exeter Students Guild
“I finally felt like I was in a truly open, non-judgemental space. Also, met some amazing people who have faced similar situations/experiences like me.”
Tulsi, University of Exeter Students Guild
“I had a good insight into the protected characteristics.”
“Very engaging, thought provoking. Allowed me to reflect on and engage with contemporary issues and subconscious biases. Also to implement an effective action plan going forward.”
Izzie Crouch, University of Exeter Students Guild
“I found the training very useful in relation to the role I have at Helping Hands. It gives a good idea of boundaries when dealing with both clients and carers.”
Andeline Waheed, Helping Hands
“”Really good knowledge and manner of showing this.”
Jake Hafter-Smith, Helping Hands
“Great way to expand understanding and realise things that may be missing in our workplace.”
Phoebe Holmes, Helping Hands
“I found it very engaging and informative and learned a lot. Food for thought.”
Adrienne Roswan, Helping Hands
“Thought the training was really interactive. You don’t think about all the day to day language / actions you do that could affect someone. Really eye opening.”
Indiana Rayfield, Helping Hands
“Particularly enjoyed the case studies as it made it more relevant to apply this to our work.”
Kim Kelley, Helping Hands
“Enjoyed the presentation, a very rational and well balance session.”
Matt Pearson, Helping Hands
“I feel more confident in my role when talking with customers and offering the carers that we have.”
Stacie Fitter, Helping Hands
“I found the training to be very insighful and thought provoking. I think it should be rolled out to other team members who deal with clients / customers. The trainer was very helpful and personable.”
Jack Betts, Helping Hands
“Very friendly, helpful when approached with questions, fantastic knowledge.”
“Good training, gives an insight into a large area of work.”
“Very useful course. It was very interesting to hear all different MOB opinions. I am sure this will help us all in the future.”
Linzi Bevan, Mill on the Brue
“Great training this is / has been very useful for our teams whether they realise it or not.”
Cally Stevenson, Mill on the Brue
“I really enjoyed this training session. It was really interesting and informative. I have learned a lot and hope to be a better person because of it.”
Lorna Taylor, Mill on the Brue
“Incredibly impressed with the breadth of knowledge and insight of the presenter. Also their calm, gentle manner – at no point did I feel we were being judged for any lack of understanding. The real-life examples were great and helped to bring to life the points that the presenter was making.”
Kay Hutt, Bluefrog Fundraising
“Russell was very knowledgeable and created an environment which felt safe for staff to talk.”
Michelle Quittenton, Bluefrog Fundraising
“Excellent series of workshops… well managed and good, each was time-bound via Zoom to enable a good balance between presentation and discussion.”
Nigel Gazzard, BrisDoc
“It was really good. If only we’d had more time. A good bunch of people in the room. Thank you, excellent and stimulating.”
Chris Dykes, BrisDoc
“I just felt that when you are new to a company, these opportunities are great for understanding another person’s viewpoint, especially if from a different area of the business.”
Wendy Virgin, Alliance Homes
“Cheryl was incredibly engaging and the session was so informative. Would recommend others, including my work colleagues, attend a session. Keep up the good work.”
Rachel Davies, AASAP
“This session was well done and very informative. Cheryl was open, honest and knowledgable. For me personally, regarding transgender individuals, I don’t know what I don’t know especially in a study abroad setting. After this session, I do feel more confident in my abilities to address and discuss issues that may arise.”
Shannon Fane-Hervey, AASAP
“Thank you for a superb session! I thought I knew something about this topic but I was made aware of how much I did not know, and have never thought about.”
Donna Vinter, AASAP
“This was so useful! The resources are really appreciated would enjoy another session like this.”
Heather Lees, AASAP
“Thank you so much – this was an extremely helpful session.”
Antonia Evans, AASAP
“I thought that the presentation was fantastic and incredibly helpful in terms of resources, best practice and practical information regarding legislation and what to think about when supporting students.”
“In my opinion you need to be able to understand, at least partially, the issues that students face, before you can effectively engage and these three hours were immensely helpful. Thank you!”
“Due to the fact that a lot of new media people that I look up to being trans I was very aware and passionate about trans rights, but I have learnt much more about the often harsh realities of life for trans people. As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community I will be sure to put into practise everything I’ve learnt to do my bit to make the community better for trans people.”
Hannah Laycock, AASAP
“I found this very useful and appreciated the openness and honesty of the instructor.”
Kati Cooper, AASAP
“Really enjoyed Cheryl’s candour and approachability, everyone got a lot out of the day!”
Bianca Leggett, AASAP
“Great training with lots of valuable information. After being out of the workforce for last 7 years with children it brought me up to date with current legislation and policy.”
Stacy Gardham, Community Organisers
“Excellent training, well balanced, considered and a real depth of experience which meant all of our questions were answered.”
Nick Gardham, Community Organisers
“Berkeley was brilliant – very good training session – thought provoking and useful. Thank you”
Jon Cousins, Community Organisers
“Thought provoking and enlightening – built on existing knowledge and practice especially around equalities legislation.”
Helen Wallis-Dowling, Community Organisers
“Very useful information and great for next steps with our organisation.”
Claire Bloor, SARSAS
“Excellent training event, subject matter was detailed and good to see and hear the interactions between my colleagues and Berkeley. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of this session.”
Councillor Erica Williams, South Gloucestershire Council
“As a ‘Proud@ Mama Bear, the LGBTQ aspects of equality are of particular importance to me on a personal level, but I also got to benefit from ideas of how to make sure my work in my Ward is inclusive.”
Councillor Andrea Reid, South Gloucestershire Council
“Excellent 100% my understanding of the subject has improved enormously.”
Councillor Paul Hughes, South Gloucestershire Council
“Very good session with a very inclusive instructor.”
Councillor John Davis, South Gloucestershire Council
“Thanks very much for this overdue training! We come across a lot of young people presenting with multiple displays of emotional distress – I wonder how many with gender dysphoria we are missing by not asking?”
Paul Beckley, Somerset Foundation NHS Trust
“Brilliant training – lots of information to raise awareness of gender identity and trans issues. The facilitators were great – open, honest and engaging in talking about these important issues – thank you both.”
Dr Jenna Oliphant, Somerset Foundation NHS Trust
“Such an interesting and informative day! Knowledge based and so much learnt. Fantastic trainers. Thank you”
Sara Maxwell, Somerset Foundation NHS Trust
“Really interesting session, lots of information. Delivered in a great, friendly and informative way.”
Shannon Boon, Somerset Foundation NHS Trust
“Learned a lot and made me think of situations. Great people talking invaluable to me.”
“Really enjoyed the day, it was a lot of useful information that I know I will be thinking about / processing over the next few days.”
Lauren Okane, Victim Support
“The information covered a large area of subjects to consider, I feel more informed in this area. I would like to do more training in specific areas of [equality and diversity].”
“I thought it was extremely useful and thought provoking and I learned some new stuff.”
Kathy Willis, Victim Support
“The trainer was very engaging and patient. She made you feel comfortable asking many questions and asking for clarification on many topics. It could have been uncomfortable on many occasions but it was easy.”
Ayesha David, UKPIA
“Very interesting and engaging – thank you very much!”
Sebastian Hirst, UKPIA
“Excellent trainer, very engaging, passionate and knowledgeable.”
Stephen Marcos-Jones, UKPIA
“Very enjoyable and hard hitting training! Thank you!”
Lindy Fountain, Swan Advocacy
“I thank you for your honesty and the new insight that you have given me in this subject.”
Michelle Flay, Swan Advocacy
“Thank you to trainers for personal honesty (which helped but shouldn’t be taken for granted). My particular learning was about debunking the myths, and about proportionality, ie. that other cultures are not so caught up in female / male.”
Fred Corfe, Swan Advocacy
“Really enjoyed it. I learnt a lot, thanks for your time. Very insightful.”
Hayley Lewis, Swan Advocacy
“I was shocked at how little I knew. I really enjoyed the training, it was easy to ask questions. Thank you”
Jo Burrows, Swan Advocacy
“A fantastic training session, very informative and professional – highly recommended session. I feel more prepared/equipped to be more inclusive within my practices.”
“Great training. I’ve gained some ideas about how to reach out and include more diversity in the service.”
Sarah Grimes, Southern Brooks Community Partnerships
“Good LGBT+ training with history and wide coverage of topics and terminology.”
Philip Mays, Southern Brooks Community Partnerships
“Excellently paced, well considered and delivered. Looking forward to a further conversation.”
Rob Stirzaker, South Gloucestershire Council
“Berkeley was very open with personal experiences, which makes the topic more relatable. Very knowledgeable and passionate. Great session, thank you!”
S Harries, New Directions
“I really enjoyed this course – very informative and felt the course could be used as a safe space for communication.”
Melissa Brake, New Directions
“Really enjoyed the training. Very informative and helpful to gain a better understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Mari Nisbet, New Directions
“Thoroughly covered a wide range of topics. Very open to questions. Great to hear about personal story/insight crash course in this that is becoming more widely talked about in society.”
Jodie Fervante, One25
“Presented very clearly. All questions answered in detail. Very informative and open. Excellent! Covered a wide spectrum of information.”
Nicci Bennett, One25
“Cheryl was a great presenter. It was useful being trained by someone who was so well informed of the topic as she’d been through the process and experiences discussed. Thank you Cheryl.”
Learner, University of Plymouth
“Really stimulated my mind, and got me thinking about the topic. Cheryl was very knowledgable, approachable and inspiring! Has really made me want to read more! – and explore these issues in-depth in my Human Resource Masters Degree.”
Learner, University of Plymouth
“Found it very informative and interesting. Good to discuss language and needs of patient.”
Freya Matthewson, CVS South Gloucestershire
“I found it really helpful to hear from Cheryl and Harry. I now feel more confident when looking after transgender patients. Thank you!”
Learner, CVS South Gloucestershire
“Very informative and delivered in a very professional way, enabling staff to ask questions – I will encourage staff to attend next session.”
Learner, CVS South Gloucestershire
“The sessions were informative and a good starting point to encourage staff to talk about Mental Health in the workplace. The Diversity Trust and Steve Morley were great to work with.”
Cristina Gomez, Professional Standards Authority
“Really great training which was accessible to all levels of understanding of the topic, would recommend to anyone wanting a better understanding of this topic.”
Eva Bell, School-Home Support
“I really enjoyed the EDI training session. It was a great introduction to the topic and started to open up meaningful conversations between myself and colleagues. The training was very interactive and well structured and because it ran as a virtual session it meant we had the opportunity to do it with colleagues working in other parts of the country which was a bonus. The trainer was extremely knowledgeable about the subject and the training itself embodied the principles of EDI, with a focus on respecting all participants views and ensuring everyone felt included. I would definitely be interested in doing more training with the Diversity Trust.”
Ketiwe Anjorin, School-Home Support
“This training was very good. Previous training about this topic has been very heavy on reading information etc but this was very interactive and engaging.”
Emily Look, School-Home Support
“Russell and Pat delivered a brilliant session that helped our team put the work they had done on diversity and inclusion over the past months into context and sensitively explored ways we can contribute to making our workplace as inclusive and diverse as we want it to be.”
Hanna Johnson, Chief Operating Officer, PUBLIC
“We approached Diversity Trust to provide some Trans Awareness training for our staff due to a recent incident with an external agency. We wanted to raise awareness of Trans issues, as well as provide our staff with the confidence and tools for tackling Transphobia. Cheryl from Diversity Trust worked with us to develop a programme and adapting it for a remote session. Her and her team provided an excellent session that was inclusive, engaging and encouraged people to speak openly and ask questions. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Diversity Trust.”
Graham Finegold, Strategic HR & Equalities Lead, Locality
“I want to sincerely thank you for your excellent session this morning – it was very informative and it was the first external step we have taken on this journey as an organisation. Your delivery of the session was excellent and I look forward to working with you in the months ahead as we create a more inclusive, diverse and impactful organisation.”
Ray Jordan, CEO Gorta Group, Self Help Africa
“As a fairly diverse organisation, we were looking for some help to start the conversation within our business around race and unconscious bias, as these matters have been brought to the fore in recent months. We turned to the Diversity Trust and are glad we did. Russell Thomas took us sensitively through the background of the issues and fostered a valuable conversation around awareness of collective experiences of minority ethnic groups, whilst recognising the importance of each of our colleagues as individuals.”
James McKemey, Head of Insights – Pod Point Ltd
“Russell provided an excellent overview of the different types of bias in a comprehensive and thought-provoking virtual workshop, with lots of practical examples and opportunities for discussion. Many thanks!”
Lucy Nicholls, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
“I wanted to say a huge thank you for hosting the session with us a couple of weeks back. I know our colleagues found it extremely informative and learnt a lot about some complex issues. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge with us. I know we’re keen to do another session in the future so would be delighted to work with you again.”
Ellie Weston, Davis Group
“The Diversity Trust delivered an excellent and thought provoking 1-1 session for our organisation. They were flexible, spent time getting to know our organisational needs and adapted their content accordingly. Thanks for a great session.”
Matthew Cobble, Head of Volunteering, Motor Neurone Disease Association
“The session was interesting and although remote, it was quite interactive in terms of the ‘mini quizzes’- some of the questions were quite thought provoking, which was positive as these areas are very much in the public consciousness. The staff found it easy to engage with Roger also, and were comfortable asking questions at the end/taking part in the discussions. Roger had a great personal style as a trainer and followed up his session with additional resources to allow the team to research topics of interest to them.”
Luke Godfrey, Operations Manager, Victim Support
“The attendees enjoyed and appreciated the training a great deal, it was insightful, practical and useful and adapted very well for online delivery.”
Claire Easterman, Resolution
“We partnered with The Diversity Trust to strengthen our inclusive and diverse culture within Silent Eight. The training, led by Berkeley Wilde, gave us knowledge and boosted our awareness in the area of unconscious biases in the workplace. His passion and professional approach raised a need across our leadership team to deepen their knowledge and skills in the area of our company and culture.”
Karolina Strzelczyk, Chief Human Resources Officer, Silent Eight Pte. Ltd.