Being Life Academy Chairman would be an honour at any time. To be in the chair at this particular time is something special. As you will see from Stuart Royston’s report, Life Academy has never been so busy on so many fronts. This level of activity could not be maintained without the selfless support of our dedicated staff in Guildford, our busy Board of Trustees who give so generously of their time and talent and the many individuals and groups with whom we partner around the country.
We have welcomed four new Trustees to the Board - Simon Baynes, Terry Crossley, Penny Green and Alison Munro - and we all look forward to working with them. Our thanks go to the Trustees who have left during the year - Professor Rod Griffiths CBE and Denys Hancock - for their contribution. Particular thanks are due to Denys Hancock who retired after devoting 25 years to the charity and to my predecessor, Bob Bridges, who completed his term of office as Chairman and continues as a member of the Board.
Although this is our 43rd Report, I cannot think of a time in the evolution of our organisation when its services have been more relevant to the wider community. No longer can we acquire all our financial acumen in our early years and then let momentum take over. For those of us whose financial capital is in short supply, our human capital must fill the gap. Life Academy plays a wonderful role in helping people of all ages fine-tune their human capital so that increased longevity, for those who are lucky enough to enjoy it, is seen as a boon and not a source of doom.
A feature of Life Academy which particularly pleases me is the organisation’s endeavour to meet the needs of those who are challenged in ways that the rest of us can hardly imagine. Life Academy does some wonderful work for those disadvantaged members of our community. Long may this continue.
Life Academy is an organisation of today and tomorrow. The charity deserves a bright future. Please help secure that future by ensuring that Life Academy becomes a household name within five years. There is so much more that we could do if only more people were aware of what we do. Let’s hope that, together, we can fulfil that potential.
Alan Pickering
Chairman
