Our History

We were established in 1995 to deliver a short-term advocacy project to provide a voice for vulnerable people in the Preston community.
Following the success of the project, a new board of Trustees was formed in 1999 with Preston Advocacy being registered as a charity.
Weย delivered advocacy services supporting the elderly, individuals with dementia and mental health issues before collaborating with two additional advocacy services in Lancashire to formย aย consortium toย provideย an IMCA (Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy) service in 2007.
Theย charity was renamed โCentral Advocacyโ inย 2009ย to reflect the expansion ofย ourย advocacy service provision.ย In March 2012, the organisations were successfully awarded the Action for Advocacyย Performanceย Mark before a change in health authority and clinical commissioning resulted in the consortium being disbanded.
In 2013, Independent Community Advocacy Network North (ICANN)ย was founded byย ourย existing Trusteesย and staff. There was a return to focusing onย deliveringย advocacy services centred on the needs of the local community.
Currently, we deliver a range of projects across Lancashire, providing professional and experienced advocacy support to the most vulnerable in our local community.
Our Impact
Our strategy focuses on 3 core areas ofย impact, developing a foundation from whichย weย measure our success, evaluateย ourย performance,ย and keep building on it:
1.
Building resilient communities โย weย empower individuals and communities toย bothย overcome adversity and make positive choices to thrive.
2.
Good health andย wellbeingย โย weย improve quality of life for all through collaboration and promotion of positive life choices.
3.
Reduced inequality โย weย identify, understand, address, and raise awareness of inequalities in the community.
Meet the ICANN team

Janet
Chief Executive Officer

Zoe
Advocacy & Training Coordinator

Julie
Fundraising and Business Development Support

Shirley
Senior Administrator

Glenn
Social Media and Fundraising Support
Meet the ICANN team

Janet
Chief Executive Officer

Shirley
Senior Administrator

Julie
Fundraising and Business Development Support

Glenn
Social Media and Fundraising Support

Zoe
Advocacy and Training Coordinator
Our Advocates

Aneesah
Advocate

Jim
Advocate

Rebekah
Advocate

Jan
Advocate

Rachel
Advocate

Lorraine
Advocate
Meet our trustees

Pamela Hill
Chair

Sophia Patel
Trustee

Ray Ellis
Trustee (Honorary)

What people are saying about ICANN
I would say that being a previous service user has greatly enhanced my volunteer experience in the sense that I have been afforded the opportunity to give talks and presentations to new advocates and volunteers. I truly value what ICANN stands for and represents in terms of assisting vulnerable people who would otherwise be hampered in accessing the appropriate services and help when needed.
While volunteering for ICANN, I have met people from all walks of life and gained many new skills and knowledge. It has helped me appreciate the impact my help can have to someone and therefore my own self-confidence has increased.
Our Partners