Lunchtime Speaker – Linkable – Sue Stockman & Steve Herbert

This week our speaker was Sue Stockman who is CEO of Linkable. She was accompanied by Steve Herbert,
a colleague. Linkable supports children, teens and adults with autistic spectrum conditions, developmental
delay, Down's Syndrome and speech and language difficulties, along with a wide range of other disabilities.
Many of the people it supports also have additional needs, like epilepsy or diabetes. Services for children and
teens are mainly provided at The Link and services for adults at The Maybury Centre. It is also developing an
allotment and woodland space. Linkable supports 300 people per year. It provides after-school clubs 3 days per
week at Freemantles and Pond Meadow schools. In the school holidaysit provides a number of holiday schemes
as well as short breaks for disabled children financed by SCC. In 2024/25, Linkable had income of £972,000
and spent £847,000. About one-third of its income came from payments by charges for its services by users. Its
charges are aimed to be affordable. Payments for contractual services provided to Surrey County Council raised
another third and the remaining third came from donations from grant-giving charities, legacies and from
fundraising. Linkable employed around 52 staff in 2024/25 some of whom were either part-time or employed
on short-term seasonal contracts. It also has 16 volunteers plus 7 unpaid trustees. The reorganisation of local
government in Surrey is likely to present it with some problems. Contractual income from SCC’s successor
authorities, mainly West Surrey in its case, is expected to decline. Linkable’s strategy is to try to reduce its
reliance on this source of income and and also on grant funding. It also expects to save money through digital
transformation. Sue also spoke about LivAbility which is Linkable’s new post-16 transition service for young
adults who are preparing for work, volunteering, or independent living. It will be delivered in groups of up to
ten people, with space for 1-1 sessions where needed. It will cover practical life skills, digital skills, financial
know-how and work experience in an encouraging and supportive environment. It aims to provide 5 hours of
tuition spread over 3 days every week. Linkable wants to raise £4,500 to finance the start-up costs of this
worthwhile project. Richard gave the vote of thanks. He complimented Sue on her excellent presentation and
the work that Linkable does. He wished it well in the challenges that lie ahead.