Celebrating a Legacy: An Interview with Nigel, Our Retiring Chair of Trustees
Published on 16 December 2025 09:33 AM
After decades of dedicated service, our Chair of Trustees, Nigel, is stepping down from the Board of Age UK Tunbridge Wells.
In this article, Nigel reflects on his journey, the evolution of our charity, the biggest challenges, and the unwavering mission that kept him involved for over forty years.
The start of four decades of dedication
"My journey began back in 1982 when I came to Kent. I was involved with the local Rotaract Club, and in July 1984, I was asked if I wanted to join what was then the Old People’s Welfare Committee."
"At the time we ran two day centres in High Brooms and Southborough. In 2008, we successfully merged with Age Concern Tunbridge Wells, which is when I formally became a Trustee of that charity. The organisation evolved again in 2012, when Age Concern and Help the Aged merged nationally to become Age UK. I became Chair of Trustees around 2013, and continued a bit longer than I had originally planned, because of our loss of funding from KCC and then the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The evolving landscape of local care
"The biggest change I have witnessed over my time as a Trustee, is the age and complexity of the needs of our clients. People who need our services today are, in the main, much older, more vulnerable and their needs are far more complex. While our physical buildings and core services have stayed relatively consistent, the level of support we provide has had to increase drastically to meet these changing demands.”
Reflections & defining moments
"There have been many emotional moments, particularly around challenges like the loss of grant funding from Kent County Council - which was truly eye-opening as it showed how many clients would simply not survive without our services."
Similarly, the pandemic proved a crucial test of the charity's resilience. “It immediately highlighted how critical our work was and how much our clients relied on us to prevent them from being completely alone. Although this was a very difficult period of time for everyone, I felt proud to witness the incredible team efforts, dedication of our staff, and the overwhelming community support our charity received. Crucially, it accelerated the development of services, like our community hot meal delivery service, which remain heavily relied upon today."
Looking to the future
"My primary hope is simple: that we keep going; we support the most vulnerable elderly people in our community; and we continue to move with the times. The demands on our community will change, so we need to be agile and make sure we continue to provide the services that people genuinely want and need.”
Advice for new trustees?
"Never lose sight that we are there for the clients; their needs are the most important thing.”
On retirement
“I plan to continue my charitable work and I’ve taken on the role of Chair of the Patients Participation Group at my local surgery. Maybe a little more gardening, but I doubt it!”
A final message
“I have always been enormously proud of our staff and volunteers and everything they have done for our clients. It has truly been a privilege to be part of this organisation for over 40 years. I wish everyone well for the future.”
On behalf of Age UK Tunbridge Wells, we thank Nigel for his profound dedication and commitment to the wellbeing of older people in our local borough.