Since July 2020 we have continued to reflect on the legacy of colonialism and labour exploitation, as part of the origins of our endowment and we are planning to pursue this further over the coming months.  However, being transparent about the past is not enough, we must ask ourselves “what next?”  Therefore, as an organisation focused on social and racial justice, we will be looking at how that knowledge will impact on our work, on the groups and individuals we work with, and on broader society.   

Working on racial justice has been core to the Trust’s work for a number of decades, so we are pleased to take this opportunity to examine and develop our approach, strategy, and activities, in order to play as useful a part as possible in the ongoing conversations and actions around addressing structural racism.  In particular, we will integrate this into our strategic review, which begins in April.  We anticipate that it will involve looking closely at our governance, the diversity of our board of trustees and how we consult our stakeholders when taking strategic decisions.    It will also mean taking a hard look at all areas of our work, especially those where racial justice has featured insufficiently.  

A statement about the progress of these discussions and our next steps will be published on our website in due course.  Meanwhile, we stand in solidarity with all minoritised people and are committed to our own continuous improvement.   

Erica Cadbury (Chair) and Sara Llewellin (Chief Executive) on behalf of the Barrow Cadbury Trust Board and staff team.