INTERVIEW
Challenges of an ageing population
How the role of charities is taking on added significance in modern society
Tony Donovan is the Executive Director at Leicester Shire and Rutland Age UK, a voluntary organisation safeguarding the wellbeing of the elderly. He spoke to Business Network Editor Nathan Fearn about the challenges and opportunities facing Age UK specifically and charities in general.
Tony Donovan is no stranger to the voluntary sector. While charities have been a mainstay of society’s fabric for hundreds of years, it’s no exaggeration to suggest that the landscape for the voluntary sector, and charities specifically, has and is changing. During his time at Age UK, Tony has seen the political
and societal conversation regarding the UK’s ageing population grow significantly in scope and pertinence. ‘‘I’ve worked in the voluntary sector for a long time and
mainly with Age UK,” says Tony. ‘‘From the outset, I didn’t see myself staying in the
sector for a great deal of time, maybe a year or so, however I have been here just under 30 years now.’’ In that time, Leicester Shire and Rutland Age UK has
gone through significant change, not least the branding change from Age Concern to Age UK and the merging of the city and county Age UK’s. ‘‘When I joined there was a city and a county Age
Concern. The former was the organisation with the profile, impressive offices and a large provider of services. At that time, county organisations were primarily providers of information and advice. As a county organisation, we have come from nowhere. We built ourselves up to be the largest Age Concern in the country and then, eight years ago, the city Age Concern was in financial difficulty and they asked if we would merge with them and that made us even bigger.’’ While Age UK as an umbrella organisation is universally
known and respected as a national charity, the onus, and pressure, is very much on the 170 independent, local organisations across the country to make a difference to their specific designated areas. ‘‘The national Age UK organisation lobbies Government
on behalf of older people and works with national companies, such as the types of organisations the Chamber works with, in order to create a grand pot of money, which we can then apply for as funding,’’ explains Tony. ‘‘Our turnover in Leicester Shire and Rutland for the 2014/15
financial year was around £8.5m. This year, because of all the financial pressures out there, it’s gone down but we are still holding our own with a turnover of £8m, which represents 420 members of staff and around 900 to 1,000 volunteers.’’ With charities fundamentally judged by how they make a
difference to the specific cause or causes they represent, it is easy to underestimate and overlook their importance and impact on the wider economy, especially the job sector. ‘‘We’re one of Leicestershire’s largest employers and, of
course, we recruit across the age range and from a whole spectrum of backgrounds,’’ says Tony.
22 business network December 2016/January 2017
‘‘With 24 shops on the high street, we have a large
physical presence and employ a significant amount of people. Despite the negative publicity charity shops sometimes get, we pay commercial rents and we work to a high standard. We want people to look at our shop without even realising it is a charity shop.’’ Tony is also of the opinion that the reputation and
professionalism of Age UK’s charity shops, so important for generating much-needed income, has been enhanced in recent years. ‘‘In our view, the days of the perceived shabby charity
shop are long gone. It’s important that our shops reflect the charity and the quality of work we do and the range and breadth of the quality services we provide for older people and their carers.’’ For all the positivity surrounding charities and an
appreciation for the work they do, we live in difficult times. With organisations up and down the UK feeling the financial pinch in recent years following a period of financial uncertainty and subsequent rebuilding of the economy, charities have been far from immune to the changing landscape.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56