2 minute read
In Their Own Words - Introduction from the Warden
from Impact Report 2023
The work of the Foundation continues to be a vital part of wider College strategy. Every gift is helpful as we try to provide the very best educational opportunities in the very best educational environment. Thank you to all who have given, whatever the amount. It means a lot.
The money is just a means to an end, however. The thing that matters is impact. Hence the name of this report. I love the fact that in the pages that follow, the theme is not one simply of numbers raised and campaigns planned, important though they are. There are stories: living proof of the impact donations have in the words of those who benefit. Directly changing lives.
Words on a page are good but better still is meeting the boys and hearing from them in their own words. The donor event earlier in the year was one of the most uplifting occasions of my time at Radley, bringing together donors with boys who are benefitting from their generosity. It was wonderful to hear the boys speak and to see them effortlessly ‘working the room’, happy to recount their experiences and express their pride in the place. It was Radley at its best.
The times ahead will be challenging, of course. We have done remarkably well through the years of Covid and beyond but, whatever we might hope, the future does not look any easier. That said, we look ahead with confidence, and I am hugely grateful to Elisabeth Anderson and her team for their enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to the cause. As we approach our twenty fifth anniversary in 2025, I know those that set up the Foundation would be deeply proud of what we have achieved.
One of those founding influences was John Pattisson, who sadly died last year. He loved Radley – few loved Radley more – and he cared deeply about its future. As I stood at his funeral, looking out over the Cornish countryside, I thought about the fact that he himself benefitted from a funded place. And about the impact he had for over 40 years on Council. The work of the Foundation matters.
