G) My child attends a youth club but not family session. Which membership do I need? Expand All young people who attend a youth club need our Young Adventurer + club membership, which costs £20 per month. This does not change if your family does not use family session.
C) When do the new rates come into effect? What do I need to do? Expand Our membership changes are currently on hold due to the situation with COVID-19. We will keep you updated. All membership payments using all payment methods (cash, cheque and recurring debit/credit card payments) and payment frequencies (monthly and annual) will be charged at our new rates automatically via our membership database, MindBody. Please email us if you have any queries about your payment.
F) I have two children who attend a youth club. Does each child need a membership? Expand Yes, each child who attends a club still needs to have a membership in their own name.
D) I pay monthly but I want to switch to annual payments – how do I make this change? Expand If you would like to change from monthly to annual membership payment, please email us to discuss this.
B) Why has The Yard increased its membership rates? Expand Our members are the heart of our community and together we achieve great things for disabled children in Scotland. Your membership helps make it possible for us to run our play services in Edinburgh, Dundee and Fife. As the Yard grows, it will help us support even more disabled children and their families throughout Scotland. Membership helps us rely less on fundraising, making it a vital part of what keeps our organisation strong and resilient. The cost of delivering our play services increases over time, and our 2018/19 membership review indicated it was necessary to introduce the first price increases since membership was introduced in 2014. Before making any changes, we consulted with our members at family sessions and through an online survey. The results showed the vast majority of our members highly value our services and are happy to pay more towards their true cost. Based on our current numbers, these changes will generate an extra £20,000 each year. This additional income could, for example, pay for ten weekends of family session. The Yard team will continue to earn income and fundraise to cover the majority of our clubs’ costs.
A) What are The Yard’s new membership rates? Expand Young Adventurer: £8 per monthYoung Adventurer + AGM voting rights: £10 per monthYoung Adventurer + club: £20 per monthYoung Adventurer + club + AGM voting rights: £22 per monthVisiting membership x 5 visits: £20Visiting membership x 10 visits: £30
Hazel McIntyre, Treasurer Hazel brings considerable financial experience to the Board, having worked as Chief Financial Officer for a number of years. Expand Hazel works as a freelance consultant and provides support as Chief Financial Officer to a number of early stage companies. Hazel brings considerable financial experience to the Board, having worked as Chief Financial Officer for a number of years, most recently for a healthcare technology business but also within the property lettings sector and the renewable energy sector. Her experience is largely around fundraising, mergers and acquisitions, and managing company growth. Prior to her roles as CFO, Hazel was Mergers & Acquisitions Director for a consolidator in the insurance broking sector, where she led the acquisition of 30 companies. She also spent 20 years in banking and private equity. Hazel joined The Yard Board in January 2020.
Peter Tyson Peter brings extensive experience in legal, corporate governance and regulatory compliance to our Board. Expand Peter brings extensive experience in legal, corporate governance and regulatory compliance matters to our Board. Since qualifying as a lawyer in 1999, Peter has spent 20 years in practice within the financial services industry, holding senior roles in both legal and compliance. Peter also holds an MBA from Edinburgh University Business School, which he completed in 2012. He previously acted as a mentor for Career Ready (Scotland), which supports young people in their journey from education to rewarding employment. Peter joined our Board in January 2019.