{"id":172,"date":"2025-06-12T23:32:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T23:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/dir\/?page_id=172"},"modified":"2026-10-31T20:41:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T20:41:23","slug":"tldr","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Allen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>TLDR: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"JFWebsiteWidget-01a08790e88070008cfd1963519b1c28b191\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.jotform.com\/website-widgets\/embed\/01a08790e88070008cfd1963519b1c28b191\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>seriously, don&#8217;t take any of it too seriously<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1961\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1954_beer-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Mike with beer bottle 1954\" class=\"wp-image-992\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1954_beer-scaled.jpg 1961w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1954_beer-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1954_beer-784x1024.jpg 784w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1954_beer-768x1003.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1954_beer-1177x1536.jpg 1177w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1954_beer-1569x2048.jpg 1569w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1961px) 100vw, 1961px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Starting as I mean to continue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve long been a strategist at senior level in the Voluntary and Community Sector (read: Charities &amp; not-for-private-profit organisations) in the UK, with particular emphasis on improving wellbeing for our beneficiaries\/ service users\/ clients\/ customers = people we work with.<br>I&#8217;ve been Chief Executive of several mid-size charities: my first in Birmingham in the 1980s, my last was one working with and for older people across Berkshire in the 2010s. I&#8217;ve even done very brief time for the local Library Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, despite the expected retirement age arriving a few years ago, I&#8217;m very pleased to <em>still<\/em> be working for the excellent <a href=\"https:\/\/involve.community\/intrusted\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inVOLve Community Services<\/a> as Trustee Recruitment &amp; Governance Lead, helping to improve charity governance in voluntary and community organisations across the Thames Valley, looking to encourage more-diverse trustee recruitment, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/?page_id=361\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"361\">providing training, support and governance<\/a> advice to trustees and other not-for-personal-profit organisations.<br>And, I&#8217;m privileged to have spent some very useful time as the Chair of <a href=\"https:\/\/home-startsurreyheath.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Home-Start Surrey Heath<\/a>, an excellent charity supporting families with children under five, in Camberley and surrounds. <br>I&#8217;m now Vice-Chair of <a href=\"https:\/\/swarthmorecarehome.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Swarthmore Care Home<\/a> in Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6ae70e8c99607&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6ae70e8c99607\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"99\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/LAP-panorama-1024x99.jpg\" alt=\"LAP Panorama\" class=\"wp-image-1389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/LAP-panorama-1024x99.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/LAP-panorama-300x29.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/LAP-panorama-768x74.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/LAP-panorama-1536x148.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/LAP-panorama-2048x198.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Landport Adventure Playground, Portsmouth; <em>images from 1975 to 1987.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, with all this part-time, partial-retirement, lazing about in the garden is also easily enough for me, with a fair-sized garden in Bracknell, Berkshire, south of the Thames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Born south of the Thames in London, I studied Architecture in Portsmouth until the radical housing movement of the 1970s grabbed me, fired up my strongly left-of-centre politics and my voluntary work with communities. My paid career took off with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pycportsmouth.co.uk\/play\/landport-adventure-playground\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adventure Playwork<\/a>, followed by Youth Work, then Youth Work management, community development, including assisting a Pakistani education organisation, dabbling in ICT strategy and &#8216;matrix management&#8217; for a national housing charity, Chair of a Children&#8217;s Trust (while they still existed), CEO with an older people&#8217;s organisation in the Black Country and later for a charities-support organisation in the Midlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6ae70e8c99bc6&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6ae70e8c99bc6\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"64\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tourist-Town-no-title-1024x64.jpg\" alt=\"Tourist Town July 1975\" class=\"wp-image-332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tourist-Town-no-title-1024x64.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tourist-Town-no-title-300x19.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tourist-Town-no-title-768x48.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tourist-Town-no-title-1536x96.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tourist-Town-no-title-2048x127.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Let&#8217;s have another round for the bright red devil that (sic) keeps me in this tourist town &#8211; 2nd April 1975.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along that path I acquired a post-graduate Youth &amp; Community Work qualification from what is now the University of Greenwich, then an MBA from the University of Birmingham looking at social capital and connected communities, long before these days of always-connected and societally-compromising social media. That&#8217;s all in far too much detail on <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/pub\/mike-allen\/7\/977\/66b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/?page_id=361\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"361\">Charity Governance Support<\/a> is my introductory training offer for not-for-private-profit groups of all sorts: community groups, all types of charities, and community businesses\/social enterprises.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1013\" src=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/logo03-1024x1013.png\" alt=\"Charity Governance Support logo\" class=\"wp-image-439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/logo03-1024x1013.png 1024w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/logo03-300x297.png 300w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/logo03-768x760.png 768w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/logo03-1536x1520.png 1536w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/logo03.png 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charity Governance Support<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three online courses are available for groups:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting a group for good<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Running a group for good<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trustees&#8217; responsibilities and roles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside the Voluntary Sector, I have intense passions for music &#8211; currently from The Cowboy Junkies to Haim to Willis Earl Beal and Martha Wainwright via Bombino, \u00c1sgeir Trausti, Captain Beefheart, and The Velveteen Orkestra &#8211; cooking, cheese, cats, cycling, cricket and chianti, although not in that order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I also follow and wholeheartedly recommend the wonderful podcast series: <a href=\"https:\/\/500songs.com\/podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs<\/a> by Andrew Hickey, which you can listen to free-of-charge, although you should also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/andrewhickey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">join his Patreon<\/a> for \u00a312 or $12 per year for additional material.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/500songs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/500songs.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/500songs.jpg 490w, https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/500songs-300x290.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<a name=\"contact\" id=\"contact\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To contact me, it&#8217;s best via <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/pub\/mike-allen\/7\/977\/66b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a>, where I&#8217;ll probably respond soonish; or you can try<br>mike at mike dash allen dot org dot uk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I may even create a contact page, now this is all working well-enough with WordPress, and that&#8217;ll mean I&#8217;ll have to update and correct that Privacy Page. Yea, work to do&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">And I'm happy that this is all safely hosted by <a href=\"https:\/\/krystal.io\/\">Krystal<\/a>, who (quietly) offer some free hosting to Registered UK charities, are themselves a Certified B Corporation, and who explain <a href=\"https:\/\/krystal.io\/blog\/post\/green-hosting-explained\">green hosting<\/a>, which I believe this is. Good for them. And this isn't a paid or required message; I switched and found them easy to work with.<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nTLDR: seriously, don&#8217;t take any of it too seriously I&#8217;ve long been a strategist at senior level in the Voluntary and Community Sector (read: Charities &amp; not-for-private-profit organisations) in the UK, with&hellip;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more-container\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/\" class=\"link-more\" aria-label=\"Continue reading Mike Allen\">Continue reading&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-172","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry","entry-type-page"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=172"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1392,"href":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/172\/revisions\/1392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mike-allen.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}