Hobson's choice!
The Sycamore Trust AGM took place last night and as a result, there are some important changes to the board of trustees.
After a period of almost ten years, our chair of trustees, Jo Baty, has decided to stand down, along with our longest serving current committee member, Vanessa Bennett.
Jo and Vanessa bade farewell, with all our thanks, at last night’s meeting, and we are very pleased to announce that the new chair of trustees is Chris Hobson. Chris has spent 30 years working in the education sector with over 20 being in school leadership positions and governance. He is currently the CEO of Hornchurch Academy Trust and also has lived experience of ASD within his family, having previously accessed the services of Sycamore Trust.
New chair of trustees, Chris Hobson
As she handed over the reins, Jo reflected on the last decade with Sycamore Trust. She said;
“I think it's time after nine and a half years to give someone else the opportunity and to share such a fantastic organisation. When I came into the organisation it was good to get involved and I've learnt a lot of things that have been very helpful to me personally and professionally.”
Vanessa has been involved even longer and she echoed those sentiments as she also stepped down from her trustee role. She said
“I've been involved with Sycamore Trust for 18 years now. When I started it was PACT (Parents of Autistic Children Together) so I have seen a lot of changes, but as we have heard tonight, we're in a really good strong place at the moment, and it just feels like the right time to step down.”
Outgoing chair, Jo Baty
Our new chair of trustees was full of praise for the outgoing trustees. Chris said;
“Personally, I'll just say that being the chair is a role that I'll take very seriously, it's a privilege, and it's a big responsibility. And to add, even in my short time with the Sycamore Trust, I'd just like to thank Jo and Vanessa. I've seen the work that goes on and the commitment you have had to the organisation, and that impact has been huge. I have got big shoes to fill, and I hope that I can do you justice moving forward”
Overall, it was a very positive AGM. Apart from the election of a new chair of trustees, our CEO Cheryl Kearney reported on a challenging but ultimately successful year, in which some big projects began, such as the Havering all-age service and the new City Bridge Foundation youth groups.
Treasurer Phil Allum also had some positive news. He said;
“The highlights are that we have a surplus this year, of just under £20,000, but given we had a deficit the previous year, to have increased our reserves by £20,000 is a really big deal. Our combined income was £403,000 just over compared to £348,000 a year before, so, income is basically up just under 16% from the previous year.”
The meeting closed with thanks from Cheryl to all the staff, volunteers and trustees for their efforts and we also welcomed Danny French as a new member on the board of trustees.
If you’d like to see a copy of the Sycamore Trust annual report for 2024/25, please drop a line to enquiries@sycamoretrust.org.uk and we will forward the report by return.