For Bill Lake, former Trustee of Wimblecomm, community is about creating opportunities to bring people together for the same original purpose that Wimblecomm set out at its inauguration in 1946 – to further cultural, social, and physical welfare, and to foster a spirit of mutual service and friendship.
Bill got involved with the WCA several years before the old Community Centre had to close. He was initially engaged in a bit of consultancy work by Fran O’Toole, the former Secretary and Centre Manager, and later joined as a trustee in September 2013 following the closure of the centre in 2012 and the finalisation of the deal with Merton Council to extract the charity’s funds in June 2013. After joining, Bill helped with the strategy review and the initial development of Wimblecomm.
Bill supported the proposal to invest the money in the CCLA, knowing that the charity investment fund would be advisable in terms of investment. The funds have indeed done very well which has pleased him. With other trustees, the strategy to use the endowment to create the Wimblecomm website to connect people, places, and passions was initiated and grew. Bill threw himself into the market research to understand the validity of this project, interviewing local venue organisers and really trying to understand local community challenges. It was this opportunity to get out and meet local people that he most enjoyed, and the information gleaned helped to drive the project forward. He continued to develop and support Wimblecomm until stepping down from his role as a trustee in 2020.
Bill certainly played his part in shaping the Wimblecomm concept of community, and what the charity is today.
Story submitted by Bill Lake and Jenny Burrett
Click here to discover more stories that celebrate 75 years of the Wimbledon Community Association (WCA,) and its members. And if you want to get involved with Wimblecomm and all that we’re doing at the WCA, click here.
