Loneliness, poverty and the wellbeing of the very young are some of the most difficult challenges facing today’s society and it is through the prism of these three key themes that new Carnegie Dunfermline Trust Chairman David Walker has set out to tackle his two year stint in the Trust chair.

‘Im not trying to make a name for myself,’ he says, ‘just trying to find a way to make a difference.’

Married with three grown up daughters, David Walker is the Managing Partner of accountancy firm Thomson Cooper. He is a former Dunfermline High pupil and graduate of Heriot Watt who, as well as being a black belt in karate, is an enthusiastic golfer and hill walker. He took over from Douglas Scott as Chair of the Trust in April.

David says, ‘As I have got older I have come to see how easily someone can find themselves isolated from their community – whether it’s through shyness,  the loss of a loved one, lack of means or a language barrier. We need to be proactive and think outside the box in coming up with solutions. The danger is that we come up with things that have been tried before.  For this reason the Trust is seeking to reach out to as many local bodies as possible to find out what works and doesn’t, what needs to be done and ways we can collaborate and share knowledge.’

He goes on, ‘Of course these problems are massive and the Carnegie Trust can not solve them but we can commit to doing what we can to alleviate them. Sometimes that will be through money, but sometimes it will be by acting as a catalyst for change or by playing a convening role for local groups and bodies. The thing is to focus on trying to make a difference locally and hope that perhaps one day it will have an impact beyond Dunfermline.’

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