Before I turned 19, I started on a journey that would take me around the world. I found jobs working on ships of the Norwegian and German Merchant navies, enabling me to travel from Scotland to Canada, from Vancouver to Los Angeles, and on to Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia – and via the Panama Canal to Texas. When on land I worked in a variety of short-term jobs, always hitchhiking and occasionally sleeping at the Salvation Army.

These youthful experiences of travel and work broadened my horizons, teaching me the value of money and working for it, and instilling in me a strong sense of independence.

Earlier, as a boy, I had experienced a different world as a chorister at Salisbury Cathedral. That part of my life taught me about time management and discipline and, during those formative years, gave me an appreciation of choral music and the architecture of the 12th to 16th centuries – all of which still inspires me to this day.

This blog is a means of sharing these experiences and interests, and demonstrating how they have formulated my mindset and philanthropic activities.

My philanthropic objectives are formed in large part by my interests in the fields of health, heritage and music – all generated in different ways by my youthful experiences. In terms of Health, I am interested in special cases where the foundation can potentially make a difference in the lives of the vulnerable. Heritage, the preservation of historic buildings and of cultural traditions, faces the ever-present challenges of erosion by weather, by earthquakes, by the passage of time and by changing usage. Music, having been part of the UK’s oldest living cultural heritage, as a chorister, I appreciate the 1,400 year old cathedral and church choral traditions, wherever they are to be found in the world, whether in Canterbury, Kent, or in Canterbury, New Zealand.

One example illustrates a mixture of issues that matter to the foundation. Seven years ago, on 22nd February 2011, a devastating earthquake struck the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand, reducing much of it to rubble and killing around 200 people. At the very centre of the city stands Christchurch Cathedral, a building of great symbolic importance to the city. The Cathedral’s spire collapsed, causing substantial damage. Later, the rose window over the west door, with its precious stained-glass, also collapsed. Within four days of the earthquake, I agreed to donate $NZ 4 million towards the restoration of this Cathedral.

The “positive outcome” that the foundation seeks, for all of its donations, relies heavily on getting the original intentions right from the outset. That is why the foundation cares about giving meaningfully, by obtaining in part, the most effective structure around the donation – and by deploying the commercial acumen and skills that I make available. This is how we can ensure every donation serves as useful a purpose as possible.

This business-like approach is part of the core thinking of each contribution made by the foundation. It is why we prefer to make a limited number of significant donations, and often spread over a number of years, which help to make the chosen projects sustainable in the fields of health, heritage or music.