My World

Philanthropy

In my generation all education was free, whereas now you have to pay for everything.  You should always put something back, particularly in this day and age, so I started sponsoring undergraduates at Cambridge.  I gave money to the senior tutors and the librarians so they could provide students with the best possible facilities.

You see so many bright young people who have to pass up the opportunity to study at somewhere like Cambridge because they simply can’t afford to go there, so I wanted that money to be used in order to provide the students with the support needed to study there.

When I went back to visit the college after I retired I noticed that the facilities in the library were the same as when I left over 40 years before.  So I wanted to give money to the library to make everything a bit more modern.  I want to make sure the new generations have all the same opportunities I had, and I hope I can inspire them to become the next batch of great inventors.

In October 2017 the University of Cambridge announced its first Professor of Innovation.  In the important role, Professor Tim Minshall leads the engineers and inventors of tomorrow to see their ideas become reality and change the world.  I’m thrilled to have funded this new position led by such an inspirational figure who encourages students to embrace engineering.

Professor Tim Minshall, has a wealth of experience in Cambridge’s world-renowned engineering, manufacturing and technology sector. He is based in Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing, part of the Department of Engineering.

Enjoy this new film below that explains the importance of this very important role which will turn blue-sky thinking into commercial realities.

Also, in 2017 the Taylor Centre opened at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London. It’s a very helpful hub where engineers can meet others of like minds and discuss their initiatives in a collaborative environment.

I’m thrilled that the Isle of Man Post Office has captured some of my contributions to philanthropy in one of the postage stamps in their magnificent set of stamps.