Joan Hawkins and daughter Veronica Northam 
“I’ve never regretted it”, says Joan about her decision to set up a permanent fund with Quartet in memory of her late husband Walter in 1992. Joan is passionate about the arts, as was her late husband, and since it was established the fund has given out more than 100 grants. Joan also created a fund in her own name to support a broader range of local organisations including a community gardening project and support for One25, a charity for women street sex workers.
“Without Quartet, I would still have supported local charities but my giving would have been piecemeal and I would have missed all those groups doing great work which I wouldn’t have known or been able to reach”, says Joan
Joan’s daughter Veronica has also been actively involved in her parents’ funds. A retired teacher, Veronica has always known about Quartet and been coming to the foundation’s events for over a decade. More recently, Veronica’s involvement has been formalised by putting in place succession planning arrangements.
Veronica explains, “I know the kind of projects my mother has enjoyed supporting and I will continue to fund things she would have wanted to be involved with. We share many of the same interests and it is a great honour that she is passing on the ability to do this to me.”
Collectively, the Joan & Walter Hawkins funds award up to £20k a year to a wide range of charitable causes in the West of England region.
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