Monday 17 September 2012

Windsor Castle, Levenson and Twycross Zoo

Always great to have an opportunity to go to Windsor Castle! This time for the Annual Windsor Leadership Trust Lecture; "After Levenson: the ethics of journalism". So that was fun. It is always a joy to reflect on the wickedness of Murdoch and to glory in the downfall of the mighty, as we sat in the Quire of St George's Chapel a bunch of luminaries in attendance. I spotted former Cabinet Secretary Robin Butler and Martyn Lewis (Chair NCVO). And as I was in the company of headhunter extraordinaire David Fielding he was on hand to pinpoint notables ( my eye sight not being what it once was ! ).
Alan Rushbridger , Editor of The Guardian, was our lecturer. We should all be proud of the role The Guardian played in bringing the wicked Murdoch Empire to book. It took time though as Alan recounted. At first no other paper took up the hacking allegations. But eventually the floodgates opened.

And now I'm on the way to Twycross zoo for the SIB away day; a pleasant drive up from Charlbury through our gorgeous Cotswolds and into the Midlands. We are staying in the rather lovely Asppelby Magna, a great place to think through the future of social investment.

We have a report from the Boston Consulting Group which is looking at the market and supply and demand and then where the Social Investment Business should position itself. The SIB group is now 10 years old and we have a good track record of loans to the sector- small and large organisations, community based and national. There is demand for loans to grow but the supply is woefully inadequate. Hence the need for Government to act and to force banks to look more pro actively at our sector. More on this tomorrow ...





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