Chair's statement
Towards our next chapter
This year we have been laying the groundwork for the next phase of the Foundation’s life.
The staff at the Foundation and the trustees, together with many friends and colleagues involved in our main areas of activity, have been reflecting on our work over the past decade and considering possible priorities over the coming years.
Our desire to listen and learn has involved opening the Foundation up to suggestions, prompts and provocations from many different quarters. Not surprisingly, we’ve received many more ideas about what PHF might do, and issues we should consider investing our time and resources in, than we will be able to take forward. I was struck by how strongly one theme in particular resonated across many of the contributions – the paramount importance of the independence of the Foundation.
This independence enables our team, advisors and trustees to work with and support individuals and organisations who, driven by their desire to open up opportunities of different kinds for people in the fields of the arts, education and social justice, are involved in different ways of working in sometimes difficult or challenging areas. It brings particular responsibilities that, as we make choices about our future direction of travel, we will continue to keep uppermost in mind.
In parallel with our strategic review, we have of course continued our grant-making programmes and initiatives. At the beginning of the year, we made two final 25th Anniversary gifts that reflected my father Paul Hamlyn’s interests: to The Reading Agency to support their inspiring work to improve literacy, and to five performing arts venues across the UK to develop Paul Hamlyn Clubs to broaden their audiences over the next five years.
Our programme in India has completed its first full year of operation under its new strategy. This focuses on making a tangible difference to vulnerable groups, such as the many thousands of ‘railway children’ who run away from home and gravitate towards railway stations where they are often particularly vulnerable to many forms of exploitation.
The other theme I picked up from our consultation process was the widespread recognition of the integrity of the Foundation. This quality is shared amongst our hugely committed staff, advisors and trustees, and equally importantly, amongst all the individuals and organisations we support, many of whom are working on challenging programmes with extraordinary determination.
I am particularly grateful to our staff during this busy year. We appreciate the contribution of Martin Brookes to the development of our new strategy during his year as Director and we wish him well as he pursues fresh challenges. Two long-standing members of staff deserve special mention. Faye Williams and Susan Blishen left the Foundation this year after 22 and 15 years respectively, and I am very grateful for their sustained commitment over these years.
This Yearbook marks the last full year of work before the launch of our new strategy. It aims to show some of what has been achieved and learned as we prepare for the next chapter in the life of the Foundation.
Jane Hamlyn
Chair