Pat and Andy Walker of Herne Hill set up Southside Young Leaders Academy in Camberwell for boys aged eight and over struggling at school five years ago and since then the Academy has achieved some spectacular successes: eighty or more boys through the system, some set on the right path, some dropped out and one or two on to gain scholarships. We’ve also started activities in fields as varied as sailing, silk screen printing and allotment holding.

We’ve also built on our relationship with Dulwich College and spend a day a year with the cadets; we’re based at the Hollington Centre in Camberwell which Dulwich College set up back in the mists of time.

However as we’ve grown (we now have three fulltime employees and eight volunteers/part-timers) the number of Trustees has dwindled due to people moving on and having to resign. So we’re at the most challenging period as an organisation with our regular Saturday and holiday programme breaking new ground and new programmes we’ve devised – however the Board in charge of our future strategy and planning gets smaller and smaller.

To be effective the Board really needs at least eight members and they need to come from a variety of backgrounds. Thus we have a QC as Chair, a government finance officer as Treasurer, a business consultant as Secretary and a manager of Sure Start Camberwell is also a trustee. One trustee who is a parent at Dulwich College has just announced she has to resign and another has moved to Derby.

So we are desperate to recruit new Trustees to join our Board and carry on this vital and exciting work. If you look at our web site www.syla.org.uk you’ll see what we do in more detail.

Andy Walker Chief Executive Southside YLA