02 Oct Meet our members: Cambridge Deaf Association
This month we chat to Andrew Palmer, Chief Executive of the Cambridge Deaf Association (CDA), who tells us why the DESKGO coworking office is well suited for his employees.
Tell us about the Cambridge Deaf Association?
CDA is a charity working to improve health, wellbeing and create equality for deaf people in our area. We do this by providing information, encouragement, support, care and campaigning. We work directly with over 350 profoundly deaf people locally and provide information to thousands more. We’re active every day with various groups and we also have one of the few deaf basketball teams in the UK! Just like DESKGO, we support Peterborough United too and work closely with them on providing deaf football.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Cambridge Deaf Association?
I’m the CEO and my job is to support the team to achieve our operational plans and strategic objectives. It’s a great job and I am lucky to work with a brilliant group of people. They make me laugh every day and I’m in complete awe of their dedication and skill. We’re also one of the biggest employers of disabled people in the region, with almost 30 staff who consider themselves deaf or disabled which is 85% of our workforce.
I have worked and volunteered in the charity world for about 18 years now and originally come from a journalistic and commercial management background. I live in Hampton and I am only a 10-minute walk from DESKGO. As most people in Hampton do, I appreciate the lakes here and there’s nothing like looking out of the window at DESKGO and seeing the water or going for a lunchtime stroll around the shore of the Serpentine.
What do you think makes DESKGO suited for your organisation?
The location is near a bus route in Hampton and parking isn’t a problem, Peterborough is strategically important for the charity to have an office in. I want our staff to work in a pleasant environment and DESKGO is the best as far as that is concerned. There is a variety of spaces to use depending on the situation, like the booths’ desks or meeting rooms – all clean, tidy and professional.
The staff are friendly and have made the team feel at home. Added to that, the lake is there too, so that brings nature right into the workplace and there is a very convenient local shop round the corner. Oh, and one more thing … I love coffee and there’s a proper coffee machine in the DESKGO canteen, so I can make my own flat whites!
In your opinion what are some positives about working in a coworking space?
It’s good to meet people; learn about different businesses and even sometimes forge new beneficial business relationships. Coworking is quite good value and flexible too, especially when you consider how much it would cost to create our own office space on a par with DESKGO. I highly value the environment that our staff are asked to work in so that’s why I like DESKGO.
If you would like to see the DESKGO coworking offices for yourself, book a free guided tour with one of our friendly team members here.
Helpful Links
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We have a great team of people working behind the scenes, you can read all about our Office Manager here.
If you would like to know more about the advantages of using a coworking space, click here.
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