Coronavirus
Tuesday 7 April 2020
John Casson is the chairman of these businesses and charitable activities who have been seriously affected by COVID-19 but are coping very well, thanks to everyone’s great support. Here is the latest news.
Securewest International:
Providing security and travel risk management around the world, Securewest International introduced measures to deal with the impact of the virus on its clients and the running of the company back in January, sometime ahead of other organisations.
Apart from the Global Response Centre at its headquarters in Plymouth, UK, all Securewest International personnel were successfully operating remotely from their homes, both in the UK and USA, during the full lockdown.
Some personnel have returned to work at the company’s Plymouth head office in the UK, whilst many in the UK and USA are still working successfully from home.
Is Securewest International waiting for the end of the pandemic? Definitely not! The company has never been busier, generating new business with existing valued and new clients.
The video conferencing facility Zoom is proving to be a great asset with intercompany communications and ensuring the welfare of its highly valued and loyal personnel.
John Casson Foundation:
An evening with Stanley Johnson, a sell-out fundraising dinner with the Prime Minister’s father, was to be held at The Idle Rocks hotel at St Mawes in Cornwall on Thursday 19 March. This has been postponed to Thursday 26 November.
John Casson is immensely grateful to The Idle Rocks hotel, Stanley Johnson, sponsors Arbuthnot Latham and Ellis Wharton Wines, and the guest chefs Chris Eden, Mitch Tonks, Guy Owen and the hotel’s Dorian Janmaat for agreeing so quickly to the new date and for all the guests who have left their reservations in place to attend.
The John Casson Foundation operates remotely anyway, so there has been very little change as a result of the impact of coronavirus except that the foundation is receiving an increased number of requests from charities for financial support as their income from their shops, fundraising and donations has drastically reduced, putting some charities in danger of folding.
The foundation’s focused policy is to support children’s charities and worthwhile causes where they already have a good relationship.
Devon and Cornwall Police Heritage Collection:
The charities curator who was on long-term sick leave sadly left at the end of July.
As a result of a significant and generous grant from Devon and Cornwall Police, the charity has now reorganised.
This came at a critical time when the Lottery Fund declined new applications, including one from the Devon and Cornwall Police Heritage Collection (DCPHC), so as to concentrate on supporting charities hard hit by COVID-19.
The grant has enabled DCPHC to appoint as a new post a development and operations manager, an archivist, and a fundraising consultant, together with two new trustees, one to replace the outgoing retiring treasurer.
As a result DCPHC is able to progress an ambitious and exciting two-year plan to archive its records and photographs with the Devon Records Office and catalogue its extensive collection. With pop-up exhibitions and displays, talks in the community DCPHC will in due course post COVID-19 be able to engage with all levels of society in Devon and Cornwall to promote the work and understanding of the police through its history, past, present and future. One very good example is that DCPHC are working on setting up a virtual ‘best in class museum’ online. This will be achieved with the assistance of students from the four universities in the two counties.
Board meetings are successfully being held online using Zoom, though it is hoped that normal meetings will resume in October.
Russian Arctic Convoy Project and Museum:
John Casson is the co-chairman of this charity, which is based in an exhibition centre (museum) at Loch Ewe, Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands.
Originally to be held on the edge of Loch Ewe on Saturday 16 May, the 75th anniversary event to mark the last Russian Arctic convoy to leave the loch and the end of World War II has now been postponed further from Saturday 26 September to Saturday 15 May 2021.
Five hundred guests are anticipated to attend including HRH Prince Michael of Kent, Sir Winston Churchill’s granddaughter Celia Sandys, the Lord Lieutenant of Ross-Shire and Cromarty representing Her Majesty the Queen, surviving Arctic convoy veterans and their families, families of veterans who are sadly no longer with us, guests from Russia, diplomats representing their nationals who were involved with the convoys, other dignitaries and local people.
The planning for this event is nearly complete, and though the event has been postponed twice, this should not create a great deal of additional work, thanks to a great team who are helping John.
The exhibition centre (museum) at Aultbea close to Loch Ewe has now reopened four days a week, Wednesday to Saturday.
Board meetings are successfully being held online using Zoom; however, it is hoped that the AGM on Thursday 24 Septem
