Robert Ashton has accepted an invitation to be a patron of his local branch of Relate, and been researching what the role entails.
I've just been appointed patron of Relate Norfolk & Suffolk and to be honest I'm rather flattered. Of course I’m always being asked for advice or an introduction, but an invitation to be a patron is far more significant. It’s always nice to feel wanted. Perhaps I’ve finally arrived!
But wait, aren’t patrons those people you never meet? Just names on the charity's notepaper, usually followed by long strings of honours? Oh and their apologies are always read out with a smile at the AGM, because being significant public figures, they always seem to be somewhere else. Perhaps I’m being a little unfair, but you know what I mean!
Having been involved in the establishment of a very successful community foundation, I’ve got to know quite a few of the local ‘great and good’. Although their tweedy clothes, long gravelled drives and fondness for red trousers hint at a disconnect with the ‘real world’, I’ve found them in reality to be startlingly worldly. They do get invited to do an awful lot and sometimes I guess, adding their name is enough for a cause to be taken seriously. But although I sometimes wear red trousers, I’m certainly not one of the ‘county set’.
Times are changing
But times are changing and my local Relate is making the vital transition from relying on grants to generating income. This year it will add two new charity shops, with the sole aim of replacing a lost council grant. It has a bold vision for financial self-sufficiency, changing its relationship with the public sector from being a grant recipient to a commissioned provider of clearly defined, value-added services.
There are no more golden geese and a patron more familiar with quail’s eggs than making omelettes might not have the right wooden spoon for the social enterprise journey. And that’s exactly why I accepted the invitation; because I can clearly see and, I think, influence this opportunity. It will also be a valuable learning opportunity for me; to champion but not interfere. Not something I’ll find easy as my enthusiasm can lead me to meddle!
I’ve been researching the role of patron and have concluded that a good patron is rather like a concierge. Someone who opens doors, bypasses queues and introduces all the good places to go. I think that as more and more charities turn to social enterprise, there’s a need for a new breed of patron, with business skills and entrepreneurial flair. But then I would say that, wouldn’t I! What do you think?
