On to pastures new …
After a decade of support, we said goodbye to the loyal members of our Advisory Panel.
Some 10 years ago the inaugural meeting took place of what was then called The People Matter Advisory Council. The agreed aim of that group was to “help the charity become more connected with the business world, and corporate sponsorship”.
Original members were David Tutt; then Leader of EBC, Christina Ewbank; Leader of the Chamber of Commerce, Tim Cobb; Cobb PR, Julie Banks; Zest, Keith Ridley; Former Editor of the Herald, Emma Banks; CEO of the Towner Art Gallery, Stephen Lloyd and 2 key staff from People Matter. One of the very first suggestions made by that group was that the charity look to improve ‘appearance’ with new carpets and signage, followed by rebranding, all of which was officially launched at our ‘Quirky Christmas Do’ in December 2015.
Ten years on from inception and much has happened: two premises moves, expansion and development of services, sizeable funding contracts with East Sussex County Council and more recently the Home Office, receipt of the Queens Award for Voluntary Service … the list goes on.
Membership of the Panel inevitably changed with the passage of time as some folk have moved on to pastures new. Our final panel members were Josh Babarinde, MP for Eastbourne; Tim Cobb, DL, Deputy Lieutenant – Eastbourne; Christina Ewbank, Chief Executive of Eastbourne unLtd Chamber of Commerce; Stephen Lloyd, Former Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne; Keith Ridley, Former editor in chief for Johnston Press; Marion Shepherd, Retired Deputy Lieutenant – Horam; Councillor David Tutt, Leader of Liberal Democrat Group, East Sussex County Council; Charles Grimaldi, Trustee.
We are grateful for and sincerely thank the panel for their input and wise words over the years, We know that the charity’s profile has risen as a direct result of this partnership.
As we approach the end of the year and the end of a decade it is the right time for us to take stock and internally review our strategic functions going forward, particularly in light of the recent government policy announcements for our sector. Watch this space for further updates.