A personal thank you from Mark Griffiths, CEO and Founder of The School & Family Works

Way back in 2010, shortly before our launch at 11 Downing Street, Tim Curry volunteered his support. A highly regarded former Big 4 senior partner, Tim’s accounting skills, management expertise and extensive UK and international business experience seemed somewhat underutilised as we sat, week after week, in the unheated wooden shed at the end of my garden. As a teacher, psychotherapist and local authority children’s services team leader, I had little more than passion and a commitment to social justice to contribute to building the foundations of this organisation. Fortunately for all of us, Tim had everything else.

Speaking personally, there are few people from whom I have learned as much as I have from Tim. And if I could grant one wish to any poorly resourced organisation with lofty, transformational aspirations, I would give each of them a cloned version of Tim. Without him, we would not have survived. In fact, we would never have got off the ground, let alone evolved into what we are today: a reputable, effective charity offering transformative therapeutic interventions to some 100 families across 10 schools in West London.

Within our organisation, Tim has always said that he does the “boring back-office stuff”. What does that mean? It means he is multiply skilled, handling budgets, forecasts, financial statements, accounts, grant applications and reporting, minutes of board meetings, contracts of employment, salaries, service level agreements and the development of strategy. And it means that he grafts. The “boring back-office stuff” also involves tackling the steep uphill climbs: drafting our constitution, generating the copy for our initial website, ensuring we all have a pension, successfully registering us with the Charity Commission and securing a refund from HMRC. All these tasks require a live commitment to the mission as well as meticulous attention to detail, professionalism, consistency and reliability.

It would take a substantial bushel to hide Tim’s brilliant light, although he does his best to play down his contribution. The truth is, Tim demonstrates humility and patience in spades. Since March 2010, he has spent two hours most weeks in what we grandiosely refer to as our Exec Group meetings, offering advice on strategic and operational matters and holding his breath while I — and I’m not speaking for my colleagues here — eventually realise that what he’s thinking is pretty much exactly what we ought to do.

Valued and respected across the whole organisation, Tim is inspirational in his professionalism and commitment. At a recent team meeting, each of our staff members spoke about how Tim’s work had supported them personally. It was a moving and fitting tribute.

After supporting the organisation as a volunteer, week in, week out, since early 2010, Tim retired this summer. Those of us who have worked most closely with him all carry a multi-functional mini-version of Tim in our heads: questioning, checking, drilling into the data, interrogating values, focusing on the client relationship and ensuring we deliver on what we’ve promised. It is a legacy that will continue to serve us well. And we will smile as we recognise that the voice that continues to warn “there is no money” is Tim’s.

Thank you, Tim. For everything. We are profoundly grateful. Every best wish for your next chapter.