On 1st January 2022, I will emabark on something I have never done before in the 30 years since I left university – an extended period of voluntary unemployment. I am going to have a sabbatical/gap half-year. My two years at the helm of CAT has been a remarkable experience but, for various reasons, it has not worked out for me on a personal level. This is through no fault of CAT as an organisation: I remain a huge fan and was delighted with my leaving gift of life membership, but after twenty three years in senior management, nine as a Chief Executive, my body, mind and spirit have been crying out for a break. I intend to return to the fray (if someone will have me) later in 2022 to lead another charity but for now, in the words of Monty Python, it’s time for something completely different.

Watch this space…