The main purpose however, remained unchanged and the primary object of the Foundation continues to be the welfare of elderly and retired Pye/Philips Employees. There is a separate charitable organisation called The Pye Association whose sole task is to look after those employees and is funded entirely by the Foundation.

Since the object was expanded, the Foundation has also supported mainly East Anglian based small charities. The Foundation has a list of selected charities who get regular financial assistance. These organisations also receive regular visits and telephone communication to give whatever assistance the trustees can give for the benefits of these charitable organisations. The list of these local organisations is very carefully selected and are all small charities doing good work for the local communities. The activities embrace all aspects - from disability to health, education, bereavement and many other social issues which affect disadvantaged sections of the communities. The Foundation also makes funding available to start up and special projects, details can be found in the website.

Pye Foundation is managed by a group of up to twelve trustees, one of whom is elected Chairman. There are two sub committees, one responsible for overseeing the fund management and the other overseeing the distribution of donations. As mentioned earlier, each trustee also has a number of dedicated list of charities whom they visit regularly.

I worked for Pye/Philips Group for thirty five years before retiring in 1998. An Accountant by profession, I worked for many parts of the group and had the privilege of travelling round the world a few times.

I first became a trustee in late 80s/early 90s and remained a trustee until November 2021. I have been through and personally involved with most of the changes in the Foundation’s transformation. I had held the positions of the vice chair, the chair and the chair of the investment sub - committee and was made the honorary President after I retired as a trustee.

I am truly convinced that the Pye Foundation is an example of how a small charitable foundation should work. The decision to support only small charities locally is deliberate to ensure that the charitable funds are used for best value, both for money and help for local communities. The Foundation has a group of extremely dedicated and hard- working trustees and I am convinced that there will be more progress of the foundation in the years to come.

Ash Dasgupta

Honorary President