Chair's update, June 2025
Tom Walker, Chair
I have been Chair of the Trust for over five years and no year since 2020 has been the same. The last few weeks have included some real highlights which summarise what we can do as a small community group.
We had our second event in the 'Radical Writers' series with the launch of Diane Abbott's paperback book. Diane read a short extract before taking an open and Q&A session for nearly an hour. Diane really is a historic figure: currently Mother of the House, she was the first female black MP, one of four black MPs voted in in 1987. Her work representing Hackney North and Stoke Newington has been just one small part of her commitment to social justice. It was an honour to host her and hear her talk openly about her amazing life.
On the ecology front we partnered up with an expert to run two evening bat walks with bat detectors scanning for 'bat signals'. It is important to create the opportunities to explain the ecological significance of Abney. We then did one of our annual dawn chorus works very very early on 17 May...the second was postponed by heavy rain sadly.
May 20th marks the 'anniversary' of Abney's opening. This year to mark the 185th year we held a series of events, with actors from Tower Theatre bringing to life the stories of some of those buried in Abney.
I attended as a guest the annual dinner of the Worshipful Company of Firefighters who made a significant donation to the restoration of James Braidwood's memorial which stands in Abney. Braidwood is the incredible father of the modern fire brigade and it was a privilege to represent the Trust at this event in Tooley Street close to where he was killed in a huge warehouse fire on 22nd June 1861. We are working with James' great-great-great granddaughter to mark his life every June.
And then on the hidden history of Abney, Haydn ran a tour explaining the war graves of Abney on 24th May. We arrange for the volunteer maintenance of the Commonwealth War Graves on the site and it is an important part of respecting the legacy of those who gave their lives and are buried here.
On internal news we are having a change of the guard welcoming a new Treasurer. I would like to record my thanks to Brooke McKinnis who has managed the last three years with incredible profession and diligence. Even though our budget is comparatively small it is made up of all sorts of contributions. As a registered charity our accounts are independently examined and we publish an annual report. Thank you Brooke: small organisations only thrive through the dedication of volunteers like you.
The work of small community groups depends on the dedication of people like Brooke with hundreds of hours of work each year in the background. Thank you!