Why a blog?

I started this blog exactly two years ago and this was the title of my first post. One of the motivations was being able to respond directly to misleading information about breast cancer in the media and, in particular, to talk about what Breast Cancer Campaign was doing.

I have realised over the past year that when so much is happening (politically, economically and in the research field) it becomes more difficult to decide what to write about – so one doesn’t write anything.

This is not the only way we can get our messages out - the big change for Campaign over the past two years is the development of our Facebook page and Twitter profile. We are able to get messages out to our supporters and engage with them directly – all 280,000 of them on Facebook and 3,500 on Twitter.

The really big news for me and important news for Campaign is that from 1 July, when I retire from the charity, there will be a new Chief Executive at the helm – Delyth Morgan. I didn’t have anything to do with the very thorough recruitment process but it was a difficult time for colleagues not knowing what the outcome would be.

The news has been welcomed very positively both from colleagues and the wider community. Personally I could not be more delighted – I am very passionate about the work we do and I know that Delyth shares that passion and will take the organisation to new heights. I have known her from when she was CE of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, when we used to meet regularly and see how we could change the breast cancer world, and subsequently when she was appointed Baroness Morgan of Drefelin and was a minister in the Labour government and a patron of Campaign’s. Read more about Delyth.

Whither this blog? It will be unlinked from Campaign’s website but I haven’t quite decided what direction to take. As you will know from earlier blogs, starting in October 2011 I will be heavily involved with the activities of The Worshipful Company of Needlemakers. I thought it might be interesting to fellow Needlemakers to read about it and for those not involved with Livery Companies to find out about some of the activities of the City of London, which do not focus on finance but rather its historic tradition as a place of trade and craft.