We're in debt but don't panic ..the man from HBOS is here!

Published on Saturday 15 November 2008 10:04

GIVEN the recent difficulties at HBOS, some might think its senior staff would not be the best people to ask for advice on how to run a business.

But a charity in the Capital has turned to the Edinburgh-based bank – alongside Scottish Widows, Adam & Co and Think Hard – to help secure its future.

Canonmills-based The Yard, which runs playgroups for children with learning difficulties, is looking to grow the money it brings in after overcoming debts that had threatened its future.

Now, after joining the Pilotlight initiative – which gives leaders of the business world year-long placements at city charities – it is on the road to strong growth.

It is one of six charities from Edinburgh now getting help from Pilotlight members, 44 per cent of which are from the financial service, investment management and accountancy sector.

Fiona Ramsay, Pilotlight's membership manager, said the current economic difficulties had had no impact on companies like HBOS getting involved in the scheme.

She said: "If anything, there is even more interest in it now.

"The good thing about this is that, while it is helping charities, it is also helping the companies involved.

"Their staff are getting good hands-on experience of management decision-making and it is a lot cheaper than a training course."

Pilotlight was set up in 2007 and costs each corporate member 2000 a year per employee.

Celine Sinclair, director of The Yard, said: "They organise things in a completely different way because they are working for companies that are profits-driven. But the voluntary sector has to go down that route as well if it is to survive."

Every month, The Yard is attended by 500-600 disabled children aged between three and 21 from 12 special schools. It also runs a programme for young women with learning disabilities, youth clubs for young people with autism and training courses for other firms. All of the services are free to families but schools and other organisations have to contribute to the cost.

Last year, ten per cent of its income came from its services and the Pilotlight team has helped it draw up a three-year plan to improve that further.

HBOS IT director Jonathan Kennedy, one of the four Pilotlighters paired with the charity, said the team was able to quickly change practices at the charity to improve its operation.

He said: "The Yard lacked any real IT when we got involved. It had no solid platform for managing accounts and no connectivity, but after just 30 minutes with Celine she had dealt with it by the next meeting."

As well as Mr Kennedy, The Yard has been helped by Scottish Widows Investment Partnership's Mike McNaught-Davis, Adam & Company's Amanda Forsyth and Think Hard's Mark Gorman.