As we head ever-quickly through the first months of the year, many of the SWW Regional Chairs will have either already had, or soon be hosting their first group meetings of 2023 and we know that they’ve been hard at work drawing up plans for topics and speakers for all this year’s meetings. We’re very much looking forward to seeing what the groups have in store for members this year and with some of the team here having been booked into a few meetings already, we reckon it’s going to be a good one!
SWW Regional Chairs and the group meetings they hold play a vital role in providing support to SWW Members and other professionals. Many Chairs go beyond, providing a range of additional support to Members on a 1-to-1 level, whilst the meetings give Members an opportunity to be part of a community and engage with the Society on a more local level. Meetings also grant access to relevant industry training, talks from the Society’s head office and from a broad range of speakers and other professionals, as well as discussions on relevant topics in an open forum.
With each Chair hosting at least 4 meetings a year, it’s a convenient, low cost and above all rewarding way to keep on top of your structured SWW CPD hours and it’s with absolute certainty we say that the regional groups are one the Society’s most valued resources. The Chairs do an excellent job managing their region, organising meetings, and supporting their local Members – all of which we’re very thankful for.
After the mass migration to move regional meetings online through the restrictions of 2020-21, last year was an interesting one for the groups as we saw some easing back into face-to-face meetings, with many Chairs now offering both online and in-person meetings as well. They were asked to try and find a balance between the two that works, and the feedback so far has been encouraging with some groups seeing a boost in attendance figures too.
That said, despite all the hard work the Chairs put in, we’re often left wondering why a Member might choose not to take part, or engage in another way. We raise the point because if, as an SWW Member you’re not engaging with your regional group or your Chair, why not, and where else are you getting your CPD and additional support from?
It might be you that don’t have the time to or perhaps don’t want to engage. Maybe you do want to but something is holding you back. Perhaps you go to every meeting and you really enjoy it. Whatever your feelings about regional groups, we want to find out.
That’s why when all the Chairs met with the Society in January this year we commissioned a membership-wide survey into regional groups, and we’re asking you all to respond and provide us with your thoughts, feelings, and feedback.
Whether you engage with your group or not, we want to know why. If you love them, tell us, if you don’t, let us know what you think we could be doing differently. All responses are welcomed and valued, and your Chairs want to hear from you.
If you click here or the button below, you’ll be taken to a short survey which should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete. We’re running this survey until Friday the 17th of March to give everyone plenty of time to respond. Afterwards the data will be collected and summarised to help shape our discussions with the Chairs to see how we might develop and further enhance the benefits that attending your regional group already offers.
As a reward for participating in the survey, we’re offering every respondent a couple of incentives.
- 10% off their next booking with The College of Will Writing
- Entry into a prize draw to win one of three copies of the latest edition of A Practitioners Guide to Wills (5th Edition, 2023) – RRP £95
*Terms and conditions apply. Please see below for more details.
For more information about SWW Regional Groups, visit the Members Area where you can find meeting dates, locations, and details for your Chair.
We thank you in advance for taking part in the survey and look forward to working through your responses. For those groups we’re booked in to speak at this year, it’ll be great to see you there.
Terms and Conditions
The respondent must provide name and contact details including email address when completing the survey. Anonymous responses are automatically excluded. The 10% College discount is non-transferable and is for new bookings only. Excludes SWWEPP Wills and Estate Planning Certificate Courses. No exchanges or cash alternatives are provided for either incentive. Three prize draw winners will be randomly selected on the 31st of March 2023 and contacted directly via email. One discount and prize draw entry per person.
