Bill Holroyd steps down as Chairman of OnSide Youth Zones

Bill Holroyd CBE DL, Founder and Chairman of OnSide Youth Zones has today announced he is stepping down as Chairman of OnSide’s Board of Trustees, passing the baton to Charles Mindenhall. Bill will continue to play an active role in the development of OnSide as he will remain on the board of Trustees.

In his own words, Bill reflects on his OnSide journey and decision to step down:

“It is now almost fourteen years since I founded OnSide when I was a sprightly 53 years old!

We have gone from the seed of what seemed like an impossible dream, to where we are now, a thriving network which, with the recent addition of HideOut in East Manchester, is now 14 Youth Zones strong, and growing!

The journey has been simply amazing, with feelings of exhilaration, astonishment, frustration and, occasionally, exhaustion! The overriding driver throughout has been simple – to give our young people the very best. And in pursuit of this goal I have been privileged to see the very best of human nature, from our youngest members to our hundreds of supporters and volunteers across the country. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you. You have been the ‘fuel’ that has driven our achievements and I am forever grateful for the trust and belief.

OnSide is now poised for solid, sustainable growth with an ambitious and achievable trajectory toward our aim of giving every child in the country a safe and inspiring place to go in their leisure time. I am so incredibly proud of the achievements that we have all made and the reputation we have forged. Together we have outstripped my wildest dreams and I hope you share my deep pride for the futures we are nurturing for tens of thousands of ‘our kids’.

I now believe that it is time to hand over the Chairman’s baton on to someone who can lead OnSide into the next exciting phase of our journey. To that end I am thrilled to let you know that Charles Mindenhall has agreed to take over the Chairman’s role from me at the end of the year. Many of you already know Charles in his role of ‘Champion’ for our incredibly successful roll-out of our Youth Zones in London. He has been a Trustee at OnSide for five years and has been a driving force in our strategic planning. He is, in short, a perfect candidate for the role.

John Roberts will continue his role as Chairman of the Executive Board, remaining close to the expansion plans and supporting our brilliant management team in all aspects of their work.

As Founder, I am remaining on the Trustee board will and I will continue to actively support our work – I could not bear to lose my involvement with this wonderful charity!

With the impact of the pandemic, we know that now, more than ever, young people need support, focus and investment for what is set to be a challenging period ahead. The work of OnSide has never been more important and I look forward to the next chapter.

They say that the most important job of a Chairman is to hand over the baton to someone better than him or her. Mission accomplished on that front!

Thanks again for your enduring support.

Bill”

OnSide Trustee Charles Mindenhall will take up the role of Chairman on 2 December

Commenting he said: “I’m incredibly grateful to Bill for all he has done, and it is a pleasure and privilege to be taking the baton from him as Chair of OnSide Youth Zones. There has never been a more important time for the needs of young people in this country to be championed. I have seen first-hand the transformational impact of Youth Zones in London, and believe that every young person from any background has the right to the very best support and opportunities. Youth Zones help young people thrive and tackle the challenges they face head on. I look forward to working with Bill and my fellow Trustees, the management team, and our friends and supporters to help OnSide achieve its important ambitions for young people.”