Helping children to shine
The Alex Timpson Trust is the official company charity of the Timpson Group. Launched in tribute to the late Alex Timpson, we’ve been supporting the emotional needs of fostered and adopted children in schools since 2017.
Charity Initiatives
We’ve introduced a number of initiatives to support vulnerable young people.
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Supporting Schools
Our main aim is to make schools more aware of attachment problems.
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Make A Donation
Donate to the Alex Timpson Trust online to help children to shine!
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John Timpson introduces the Alex Timpson Trust
About Alex Timpson
Alex’s early life
Alex Timpson MBE (née Dodd; 25 April 1946 – 5 January 2016) was a fierce and passionate campaigner for the rights of fostered and adopted children for much of her adult life.
Alex grew up in Lymm, Cheshire. She met John Timpson at Hale Tennis Club in 1965 and the pair married two years later.
Together, the couple had three children, Victoria, James and Edward and adopted two sons, Oliver and Henry.
Alex the foster carer
John and Alex became foster carers in 1983, and over a period of 30 years fostered 90 children and young people, continuing to provide love and sanctuary to many in their Cheshire home long after they had left the care system.
In the 2006 New Year Honours List, Alex was awarded the MBE for Services to Children and Families.
Alex’s other projects
Between caring for looked after children Alex also ran a very successful country house nursery, was a Governor to several schools, and revelled in becoming the licensee of the White Eagle pub in Anglesey – pioneering the transformation of not only the pub itself but the island too, from culinary backwater to a true gastro destination.
After retiring as a foster carer, Alex continued to support families with young children by becoming a volunteer with Home Start, offering support and guidance to parents in East Cheshire in their own homes.
Alex the mentor
A particularly joyful experience for Alex was the creation of the Oystercatcher Chef’s Academy. This groundbreaking project on Anglesey, where Alex had loved holidaying since childhood, was launched in association with Coleg Menai in 2012.
Offering disadvantaged young people the opportunity to learn catering and hospitality skills under the expert tutelage of leading UK chef Roger Gorman, Alex became a mentor to the pioneering first cohort of young chefs. She took enormous pride in them all as they graduated into employment at the stunning Oyster Catcher restaurant in Rhosneigr – an eye-catching Huf Haus built on the footprint of the old Maelog Lake Hotel.
Alex’s legacy
Alex was a big personality. Unpretentious with a great sense of humour, she had a huge warmth and endless capacity for nurturing children and young people through some of the most difficult periods of their young lives. Her impact on the Timpson business and her vast extended family is best summed up by son James’s tribute to his mother at her Memorial Service held at their Cheshire home shortly after Alex’s untimely death aged 66 in January 2016.
“She left a substantial legacy of love and friendship. I know she would want to be remembered for what she gave, the countless people she inspired, and her devotion to John and her family. Her support to John and I as we have grown the business is for me the defining factor in its success.”
Meet the trustees
Sir John Timpson CBE, Chairman of the Timpson Group and James Timpson OBE, CEO of the Timpson Group form the Board of Trustees of the Alex Timpson Trust.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the strategic direction of the charity and ensuring its focus remains on raising awareness of attachment disorder in schools and wider society, and supporting other projects that help children to shine.
Sir John Timpson CBE
Trustee
Sir John Timpson founded the Alex Timpson Trust to honour the contribution his late wife, Alex, made in championing the rights of fostered and adopted children.
From 1983 onwards, John and Alex fostered a total of 90 children together and adopted 2 sons. Sir John is a very prominent speaker on the subject of Attachment and has published 3 easy-to-read guides on the issue.
John is also the Chairman of the Timpson Group, and has overseen the company’s growth through a series of major retail acquisitions.
Across all brands, the Timpson Group has over 2000 shops across the UK and Ireland, but remains a family-run business that’s run on a culture of kindness.
James Timpson OBE
Trustee
James is the eldest son of John and Alex Timpson. He joined the family business from university, becoming a director in 1988 and Chief Executive in 2002.
Until 2016, James was Chair of the Employers Forum for Reducing Reoffending (EFFRR), a group of like-minded employers who offer a second chance to people with a criminal conviction.
He is the current Chair of the Prison Reform Trust, driving changes in policy and practice, and also sits on the Tate Board of Trustees. In 2015, James received the Albert Medal from the Royal Society of Arts and in January 2016 appeared in the Sunday Times 500 Most Influential list, acknowledging his work in encouraging the recruitment of ex-offenders.
He was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2014 for Services to Training and Employment for Disadvantaged People.
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