Ruth Cadbury, Chair from 2006

Ruth Cadbury became Chair after over 20 years as a Trustee. Ruth has a professional background in town planning, and community development. She has been an elected Councillor in Hounslow since 1986 where she has held a number of lead positions, most recently as the Executive Member for Children and Life-long Learning.

“My great-grandparents took risks in the organisations they funded, and we are committed to continue that tradition. Our Trust was founded with a mission to make an active difference to people’s lives and, in particular, to support people and organisations excluded from mainstream funding. We remain dedicated to that founding ethos. I value the fact that we’re much more flexible than many funders in our application process. We look for organisations with a clear vision and strong leadership and people who have respect within their community. The financial independence of being a charitable funder gives us a freedom to support projects that local authorities and other risk-averse funders won’t.”

“I think Barrow and Geraldine would be disappointed that there has not been the real shift in ‘life chances’ that our nation’s prosperity since the Second World War should have brought. They would be saddened that the problems they highlighted in the criminal justice system are still prevalent; with the appallingly high rates of mental health problems and substance addiction and the continuing lack of opportunities for people coming out of prison. Other issues that we now work on, following their founding principles, such as racial justice, migration and asylum, become ever more complex and confused over time.”

“While many of these concerns would be familiar to my great-grandparents, what has changed over recent years is our desire to lead the policy debate. We have come to understand that in order to bring about change it is important not just to fund grass-roots organisations but to facilitate them to link with policy-makers – to allow their experience to shape policy.”

“My great-grandparents would be pleased that their great and great great-grandchildren are enthusiastic Trustees of their legacy. I feel very privileged to be in a position to carry forward my great-grandparents’ work and am confident that the Trust will remain true to their vision for generations to come.”