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From the Archive: Sir Jack’s Appointment Diaries, 2002
Hi, I’m AJ, I’m a young person, and I volunteer at JPF Archive! During my time at the JPF, I’ve been reading Sir Jack’s diaries. Join me as we uncover more about the kind-hearted founder of this vast charity.
Object – What is it?
- An extract from Sir Jack diaries all the way from 2002, noting a presentation event he was attending at the Planetarium.
- Photos from one of the earliest award ceremonies hosted by the Foundation, dated 7th November 2002, at the Planetarium. The ceremony featured Sir Jack, and guests – including Melissa Guest (singer), Carly Hillman (actress, most notably in the show Eastenders), and Roy Pratt (founder of the IMPS Motorcycle Display Team).
Context of Object
Between me and you, it’s a very fancy book. Leather cover and edges that are gilded in gold on all three sides. It looks like it was made to be remembered, to have history written onto its pages. And history has spoken to us hand its pages. We have analysed all the scribbled pencil writings of Sir Jack, from when he first embarked on his dream of establishing the Foundation.
The journals illustrate Sir Jack’s meticulous nature. He kept records of every event – big or small – in his life. He mentions personal and corporate achievements side by side,. and has a note of countless peoples’ birthdays. Several of these are his friends, but also colleagues who worked for JPF at the time – he wanted to celebrate his staff and to make them feel valued just like he did every young person.
This journal diary and the photograph are of the same event. I have been lucky enough to explore both the journals and photo albums, matching the events and photographs together.
Relevance to the Foundation
Sir Jack’s journals and the related photographs demonstrate the growth of the Foundation. In the early days, there were fewer events, and JPF was able to gather a larger number of well-known guests. Even though the number of events has grown significantly since 1999, that does not mean each one is any less special. VIPs such as mayors and MPs, sports stars and more still attend each JPF Achievement Award event.
The journals and photographs demonstrate how just how important everything about the Foundation was to Sir Jack. Its employees, the events, and of course the young people receiving awards. He noted it all down, kept photos, and made meticulous records.
The Foundation is Sir Jack’s legacy, and the purpose of us archiving records like these diaries and photos is to ensure nothing is forgotten. These files will forever be relevant and perfectly capture the values of Sir Jack and the Foundation.