Creating a world with stronger foundations

Jun 30 2008 By Christopher Knox, The Journal

The Community Foundation for Tyne, Wear and Northumberland has had the same man at its helm for its entire 20 years and its chief executive George Hepburn believes it has now reached the end of the beginning. Christopher Knox reports.

THE last 20 years have seen The Community Foundation cement its position as a leading giving foundation in the UK.

In that time it has raised an endowment fund of £43m and established 43 separate donor funds from individuals like Dame Margaret Barbour, head of the Barbour wax jacket-making company, and businesses such as Procter and Gamble.

Despite the hundreds of community projects that the Foundation has helped to become successful, Hepburn is extremely humble.

In fact he goes as far to say that if the Foundation was a private company based in Japan, he "would have been sacked a long time ago". It’s hard to imagine this being the case, as after one hour in his company you begin to realise how symbolic he is of the Foundation’s values and ambitions.

Almost £8m was given out to 1,700 North East organisations last year, with the Foundation expecting to exceed that figure in this, its 20th year.

Although Hepburn is keen to stress that it is the donors that are the real heroes, it is fair to say that he has done his bit for the North East.

A product of the 60s, Hepburn admits that he has always held a belief that he could change the world for the better, something that he has already helped to do on a number of occasions.

From large scale projects such as Barnabus Safe & Sound in Morpeth, which provides accommodation for homeless teenagers, to providing strips for Prudhoe Ladies’ Football Club, he has played his part in improving the lives of swathes of the North East’s diverse community.

He said: "There was a whole generation of us in the 60s that thought we could do anything and help fight the fight for equality. Unlike today, we weren’t caught up in the capitalist need to have money, it just wasn’t as much of an issue for us. We just felt freer and didn’t feel restricted about what we could achieve."

Helping to rehabilitate troubled youngsters is something that he gets particular satisfaction from, and it was the UK’s growing gang culture that was most associated with one of the housing estates he would find himself working at in 1977.

Although Thamesmead is not a particularly deprived area of London, it did serve as the backdrop to one of the UK’s most infamous and violent films, A Clockwork Orange.

"The area was really modern for its time and almost looked futuristic, which is why I guess they chose to shoot there," he said. "It was quite surreal and strange that, through the movie, the area had helped to comment on the types of problems that I was dealing with."

Not scared of a challenge, he then took the job of director at the Greater London Alcohol Advisory Service, where he learnt to communicate to a wide variety of people.

"You had people in some pretty awful states," he said. "But there was always a story behind every situation. It’s easy to forget that these are real people underneath.

"I met the most unforgettable characters there as it is usually people who drink that turn out to be larger than life characters.

"Most of us like a drink and although we wouldn’t like to admit it, a lot of us are on the brink of having a drink problem ourselves. My time at the advisory service helped me realise that and better appreciate the problem.

"You can help most people the way you would help a person with a drink problem, including my staff!"

Such an alertness to social injustice is something Hepburn picked up from his father, who was an active member of the National Union of Railwaymen.

"My dad was always on the phone to his union cronies and was very passionate about the rights and working conditions of rail workers.

"I guess being around him so much made me aware that there was ways of helping people in an organised and constructive way. He was very busy many and was always up to something."

This seems to have rubbed off on Hepburn, as he admits he has little time for hobbies, with much of his spare time taken up by his involvement with St Mary Magdalene’s Church in Prudhoe, where he acts as treasurer.

It is at church where he finds much of his inspiration and can draw direct parallels with the good work of the Foundation.

"Don’t get me wrong, the last thing I want to appear is more holier than though. However, if you take God out of the equation, the church represents a fantastic model of a self-serving community based on shared values and goals. The church attracts people from all works of life and accepts them as equals, which is a principle we should all work by."

It is these strong beliefs that led to his decision to spend Holy Week in the Scottish community of Iona earlier this year.

Located in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, Iona serves as a place of Christian worship and is renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty.

"My time with the Ionian people had a big affect on me and has definitely convinced me that I need to take things a little easier in future.

"I am planning to go again next year as I’ll probably deserve the relaxation again by then."

When he does manage to make the time, Hepburn likes to go walking and can often be seen traversing the North East coast with his wife.

His passion for walking also saw him straddle the Machu Picchu Inca trail in Peru in 2006 with a group of strangers, who quickly became friends.

"The trip involved hiking along the original trail that the Incas walked more than 1,000 years ago and was an amazing experience. You really felt as though you were walking across a massive historical artifact. It was a great way of meeting people and discovering about different cultures."

It was this love of meeting new people which led him to take a sabbatical last year in the far less glamorous location of Pendower in Newcastle.

The two-month stay saw him work with a number of groups in the community and listen to their concerns about council plans to redevelop the area.

"My stay in the Pendower area of Newcastle was a real eye opener and made me realise that not all the so called ‘regeneration’ plans that are in place for the area are in its best interests.

"There are a lot of old people in Newcastle who feel as though their opinions haven’t been listened to.

"They are now seeing a number of their community buildings being threatened with demolition, such as Scotswood Library, which would be a real shame." As part of the Foundation’s 20th anniversary celebrations, Hepburn welcomed one of his heroes to the region last week.

Political Scientist Robert Putnam spoke to the region’s social workers at Newcastle’s Centre for Life about the need to take simple steps such as getting on with our neighbours to help build stronger communities and encourage people back into work.

It is a philosophy that Hepburn more than relates to.

"It was a real privilege to have Bob Putnam speaking in Newcastle.

"Interest in his work has been extraordinary and it gives us some real pointers to developing more responsive public services and encouraging community activity at the grass roots."

However, he is rather more modest about the impact he has had on community development.

"The biggest legacy I could leave behind would be that nothing changes at the Foundation and that what I have helped to set up goes on to bigger and better things. I want people to think less of me as time goes on."

Somehow, it is hard to believe this being the case.

CV

1971 - BA (Hons) in History, University of Sussex

1974 - Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work

1974-77 - Social Worker at Bexley Hospital

1977-1985 - Organiser, Thamesmead Family Service Unit

1985 -88 - Director, Greater London Alcohol Advisory Service

1988 - Present - Chief Executive, Community Foundation for Tyne, Wear and Northumberland

The questionnaire

What car do you drive? Citroen C3

What’s your favourite restaurant? Cafe 21

Who or what makes you laugh? Sunday for Sammy

What’s your favourite book? The Honorary Consul – or any other novel by Graham Greene

What was the last album you bought? Watershed by kd lang

What’s your ideal job, other than the one you’ve got? Cricket Correspondent

If you had a talking parrot, what’s the first thing you would teach it to say? "You’re a lucky fellow to have a wonderful wife."

What’s your greatest fear? Walking across Striding Edge – A mountain in the Lake District

What’s the best piece of business advice you have ever received? Understand the underlying moral purpose of your business.

And the worst? Time to clock off now

What’s your poison? Chateau Musar 2000

What newspapers do you read, other than The Journal? The Independent and the Hexham Courant

How much was your first pay packet and what was it for? £3, 7shillings as a trainee social worker in Handsworth, Birmingham

How do you keep fit? Early morning swims at Prudhoe Waterworld

What’s your most irritating habit? Cracking my knuckles

What’s your biggest extravagance? Chocolate biscuits

Which historical or fictional character do you most identify with or admire? Aneurin Bevan

Which four famous people would you most like to dine with? John L Bell (hymn writer), Sir Tom Hunter (Scottish Philanthropist) Doris Lessing (novelist) and Beatrice Webb (social reformer)

How would you like to be remembered? Less and less often, as time goes by.