Who we asked

This research brings together the opinions of over 200 individuals, age 16 to 78, the voices of a new generation as well as some of the world's leading professionals in many walks of life.

We spoke with our contributors one to one, most often face to face, and for an hour or two.

Please appreciate that the ideas expressed in this report do not necessarily represent the views of the charity, nor any particular contributor. Responsibility for the content and presentation of this report, in all its forms, rests solely with Dr Nick Baylis.

Some of our better known contributors
from many walks of life:

Kate Adie - Chief News Correspondent, BBC TV

Dr Eric Anderson - former Headmaster of Abingdon School, Shrewsbury School, and Eton College; presently the Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford University

General Sir Peter de la Billière - formerly Commander of the Special Air Service Regiment; Commander in Chief of British Forces during the Gulf War

Mervyn Brooker - Headmaster of King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, Birmingham

Christopher Bruce - Director of the Rambert Dance Company

Bill Bryson - author of The Lost Continent; Notes from a Small Island; A Walk in the Woods

Raymond Baxter - former WWII Fighter Pilot; former TV presenter

Professor Bernard Cohen - Professor and Director of The Slade School of Fine Art

Maria Coole - Deputy-Editor of Bliss magazine

Chris Donald - founder of Viz magazine

James Ferman - former Director of the British Board of Film Classification

Helen Fielding - author of 'Bridget Jones's Diary'

Mariella Frostrup - journalist and TV presenter

Sir Geoff Hampton - former Headmaster of Northicote School, knighted for his services to education; Director of Leadership Centre and Dean of School of Education, University of Wolverhampton

Charlie Higson - co-founder, writer, performer, producer of The Fast Show

Michael Holden - co-founder and Deputy-Editor of Loaded magazine

Michael Hollingsworth - Editor of What's on TV magazine

Nick Hornby - author of Fever Pitch: High Fidelity; About a Boy

Margaret Ingram - Deputy-Principal of Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge

Robert Iscove - Director of the film She's All That

Professor Martin Johnson - Head of Department of Anatomy, Cambridge University

 Helen Johnston - Deputy-Editor of Marie Claire

Erling Kagge - former Polar Explorer, holding several world records

Tony Lacey - Head of Publishing, Penguin Books

John O'Farrell -lead-writer for Spitting Image, Radio 4 star, and author of Things can only get better.

Martha Lane Fox - co-founder of lastminute.com

Gary Lineker - former Captain of the England Football team; presenter of Match of the Day

Rachel Loos - Deputy-Editor of Elle magazine

John Madden - Director of the film Shakespeare in Love

G. Toni Mascolo - Chairman & CEO of Toni & Guy hair salons

Michael Mavor - Headmaster of Rugby School; former Headmaster of Gordonstoun

Roger Michell - Director of the film Notting Hill

Barry Norman - film critic

Simon Nye - writer of the TV series Men Behaving Badly

Jamie Oliver - star of TV series The Naked Chef

Mark C. Pyper - Headmaster of Rugby School

General Sir David Ramsbotham - Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for England & Wales; former Colonel Commandant 2nd Battalion of The Royal Green Jackets

Diana Rose - Deputy-Head of Oxford High School for Girls

Lysanne Sampson - Chief Editor for Sugar magazine

Vidal Sassoon - founder of the hair salon and international brand

Sam Baker - Editor of Company magazine

Stefan Schwartz - Director of film Shooting Fish

Dr G. M. Stephen - High Master of The Manchester Grammar School

Professor Trevor Baylis - inventor of the clockwork radio; former underwater escape artiste, Berlin Circus

Arabella Weir - comedienne; performer on the Fast Show

Tom Wiley - CEO of the National Youth Agency

Kirsty Young - journalist and TV news presenter

The above list includes 'pilot research' that was conducted by Dr Nick Baylis at Cambridge University between January '95 and December '98.

We devote a 'thank you' section to all of our individual contributors in More About Us