A Change at the Helm

As you will doubtless be aware, 2020 has been a year of change for CDA. As Chair of Trustees, I would like to give my personal thanks not only to my fellow Trustees for their support as we’ve navigated the ever-changing landscape that Covid-19 has thrust upon us, but especially to Ian Wilson, our outgoing Acting General Manager.

Ian officially retired from CDA on November 30th having been with us for well over 25 years – mainly in the role of fundraiser. Over the last 18+ months, Ian has stepped up to take the helm of the organisation, guiding us through tricky times and righting the ship to an even keel. I would like to thank Ian for his work in the recent past – and wish him a much quieter time in his retirement. I should also thank his wife for putting up with us, having kept him away from home for longer than maybe we should have – but at the same time commiserate with her for the having to spend more time with him from now on in!

Taking over from Ian is Caroline Howsley, who has joined us as our new General Manager. Caroline brings a huge amount of experience of working in the third sector and relentless enthusiasm. I would like to offer my personal welcome to her and wish her all the best in her CDA journey. I will leave her to introduce herself properly in a future post, but I truly think that CDA is in an excellent pair of hands as we hopefully start to move out from the Covid cloud!

Charlie Allgrove
Chair of Trustees