I am the founding Trustee of Capable Creatures a very small user-led charity in Southampton that is in its infancy to provide Peer Support walks for people with mental health conditions and assist people with mental health conditions train their dogs as their Guides for the Mind Mental Health Assistance Dogs. I have been running it single-handed with Trustees in the background.

Unfortunately my health has deteriorated and my condition has become terminal and I want to find someone / team of people to take over Capable Creatures so it does not die with me. Does anyone have any advice on how I might go about trying to achieve this?

There is no other charity locally doing this work and those that are training in other areas are focused on the Armed forces and Emergency Services and PTSD. Ideally I also do not wish Capable Creatures to die with me, as it was set up to support people local to Southampton and for local people with mental health conditions to get involved and make it theirs and help give them purpose, develop skills including in dog training and then they would assist and mentor new clients, build self confidence etc and I hoped the pilot with 4 clients would have gotten the ball rolling with this.

Below is some more background info if that helps

I was to start the Guides for the Mind Assistance Dog Programme in May 2020 before covid 19 hit but needed to put it on hold due to my vulnerabilities and that of volunteers and clients. I had planned to start in May 2020  with 4 clients to start the programme - there is money in the Capable Creatures account to cover this if it is run by volunteers trained as dog trainer assistants and supervised by a professional dog trainer who is giving her services on a pro bono basis. Recently I began to try to return to getting it off the ground but then got hit with the above sad news.

I have 2 other trustees along with myself but neither of them are able to move into run the Charity. Up until present I have been doing most things myself and the volunteers I had in place for the pilot that was to start in May 2020 have fallen away, understandably.

Thank you, Lise