My father-in-law, Mick May, who has died aged 63 of mesothelioma, spent the first 20 years of his professional life in financial services before realising his true passion for the voluntary sector, and co-founding the charitable enterprise Blue Sky. In the latter years of his life, Mick also added “author” to his list of accolades, with the publication of his book Cancer and Pisces, celebrating his two chief passions in life: fishing and his family.
Described by the former prime minister David Cameron as “the only company in the country where you need a criminal record to work there”, Blue Sky was set up as a social enterprise winning work from local authorities and housing associations, and fulfilling the contracts with a workforce of ex-offender employees. Originating as a few small teams in and around Slough in Berkshire and Hillingdon in west London, the charity grew into a nationwide operation employing more than 2,000 ex-offenders. In 2017 Blue Sky merged with the former Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust to form the Forward Trust, and in 2016 Mick was appointed OBE in recognition of his work with ex-offenders.
