In the beginning FFLAG met as a steering group, the first meeting in November 1991 was attended by seven parents including Frances Nicol. One of the decisions taken at that meeting was that FFLAG needed to buy a word processor!!

This forward thinking group talked about the need for FFLAG to be a structured organisation, something that was to take a further nine years to achieve. However, in the meantime they did design a logo, information leaflet and pack, raise funds, open a bank account, hold conferences and produce the aims and objectives of FFLAG. Oh and the small matter of campaigning for the age of consent to be equalised during which Frances spoke to the Houses of Parliament.

The steering group became the FFLAG Committee, often attended by over 20 parents from across the UK. Amazingly 15 years later many of the names on the minutes of the inaugural Committee meeting are still involved with FFLAG.

In July 1993 Frances was elected as “Secretary, to act as Coordinator and Spokesperson for FFLAG” and then in August 1994 she became “Joint National Coordinator” a post she was to hold for two years.

FFLAG and the Committee continued to grow with more support groups and helplines becoming affiliated. Jewish Parents was one of these groups, led by Ken Morris and his wife Mavis. In August 1998 Ken was elected “Meetings/Minutes Secretary” as part of this role Ken was instrumental in the arrangements for creating FFLAG’s first website and was a member of the sub-committee that researched the possibility of becoming a registered charity. In June 1999 Ken was ‘promoted’ to “Honorary Secretary of FFLAG”.

In November 1999 the Committee unanimously agreed that FFLAG should become a registered charity and that all the current officials be elected as Trustees. This finally happened in February 2000, present at the first meeting of the new Trustees was Ken who was elected as Secretary. At the following meeting in May 2000 Frances was elected to the Board of Trustees. Both Ken and Frances remained on the Board until May 2006.

Looking back at the minutes of these early meetings it is amazing to see how far FFLAG has come and this would not have been possible without the efforts of both Ken and Frances.

Frances and Ken have been such a vital part of FFLAG that I find it hard to imagine the day-to-day work of the organisation without them. During my six years as National Co-ordinator the support of all my fellow Trustees was crucial but we owe Frances and Kenneth a particular debt of gratitude for the invaluable work they did on fund-raising. Without their contribution it is unlikely that FFLAG could have made the vital progress through the CAF Report, the training weekends, to obtaining the Lloyds TSB Foundation funding which enabled us to set up the office and appoint our Executive Director.

Together they were responsible for the financial backbone of the organisation and Ken’s skilful, steady and completely trustworthy hand on the financial tiller was a huge relief to me particularly - I always knew that if we said to Ken “Can we afford to do this?” and he said “Yes” – we could! His unique sense of humour also saved our sanity on many occasions when times were tough. His ice-breaker when speaking to a potentially hostile audience was: “I have no problem saying that my son is gay – I have great difficulty in admitting that he is an estate agent!” It always worked. The commitment and good humour of Ken and his wife Mavis seems to me to be exemplified by my memories of them smilingly creating a welcoming flag-bedecked FFLAG stall in the rain and mud of Finsbury Park at one of the more gruelling London Mardi Gras’ having trudged miles through the sodden field with boxes and bags.

To our great relief they will still be involved with the work of FFLAG – Ken and Mavis with the Jewish Parents’ Group and Frances with the work in Europe to which she has already made such an invaluable contribution. A passionate European, she represents FFLAG on the Administrative Council of Euroflag. She was responsible for managing the Research Project designed for Euroflag by Nicola Douglas, then at the Thomas Coram Institute at the University of London, which formed a major part of the successful bid for European Commission funding under the Daphne Programme for a project called ‘Family Matters’ which is about to start. Without Frances’ patience and persistence that would never have happened. She has been a huge support and a joy to work with and my personal debt to her is enormous – not least, on the 2005 Euroflag meeting in Brussels when I managed to have my passport, all my money and credit card, stolen within half an hour of arriving at the Gare du Midi! Somehow, she steered me through police stations, meetings, bailed me out financially and kept me just this side of hysteria throughout quite a difficult weekend! What a star!

I think the whole parents’ movement owes such a lot to these two wonderful people – I certainly do.

Jenny Broughton

At the Board of Trustees meeting in May 2006 the Trustees were very reluctant to accept the resignations of both Ken and Frances but agreed that after many years of voluntary service both were entitled to a long and happy ‘retirement.’