26th June 2026
Penny Scott-Bayfield
The very saddest of news this week as we have to announce the death of Penny Scott-Bayfield, Chair of OYT South’s Board of Trustees, following a short illness. She was fifty-three years old and had been a Trustee since 2022 and our Chair since 2023, but her connection with the charity went back much further: she had sailed on board Prolific as mentor to a crew of girls in 2018; and her extensive network of friends included so many people who were involved in the charity in different ways.
Penny had a shining professional career but had retired as CFO of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc earlier this year and was looking forward to doing more of the things that she loved, including spending time with us at Ocean Youth Trust South. Until the start of May this year she was sailing as a watchleader on board Prolific and working towards qualifying as a third mate.
Penny was that rare combination of an acute business mind with the warmest and most empathetic of souls. She steered the Board expertly, took the tough decisions when needed and ensured that all of OYT South’s activities rested on the firmest foundations of sound finances and good governance. She was so passionate about making a lasting difference to the lives of the young people who sail with us; but above all else she understood that everything we achieve grows from the efforts of human beings, our staff and volunteers: her first care and priority was always for the people in the charity. She didn’t just go the extra mile to support individuals and make sure they felt valued and appreciated: she would have vaulted mountains for us.
If she ever heard that someone was struggling, there would be something – a message, a call, a present of books – from Penny. But there was so much more than sympathy and gestures: Penny would think deeply about ways to make a genuine difference, not merely tackling the surface issues but trying to give people the tools to take control of a situation and move forward. When Penny believed in someone, she was irresistible: whatever self-belief you could muster was galvanised and amplified by Penny’s faith in you. She wasn’t leading from the front: she was walking right beside us.
Penny adored Ocean Youth Trust South and was very deeply loved by all those of us who were lucky enough to know her. She joined in everything from events to vessel refits not merely because she knew that jobs needed doing but because she drew strength from the atmosphere and camaraderie on board Prolific. She might be involved in the most complex and demanding project at Bloomsbury but in the middle of it all she would turn up to a refit weekend and put in hours of hard physical graft, insisting that it worked like an injection of fresh energy and she would be going back to the office buoyed up by having spent a weekend with us. She would feed off the vitality and enthusiasm around her – and wave away any notion that she herself had been the greatest source of inspiration in the room.
Even when she was ill she always wanted to hear about OYT South and took huge pleasure in any tales from the boat. She loved the truly heartwarming feedback, when a young person or a parent or a teacher told us that something special or life-changing had happened on board. But she also loved the fun and irreverence that lies at the heart of sail training. It was never difficult to make Penny laugh.
We are heartbroken for her family, especially her husband Edd.
Penny was bright, beautiful and brilliant, and the truest, warmest and most caring friend anyone could ever want. Just for the moment it’s not very easy to face up to everything we must now do without her, but we know we will, because she was always so very proud of us. There will be great times yet to come for Ocean Youth Trust South, and a little bit of Penny’s spirit will always sail with us. Penny, we love you, we miss you and we will never forget you.
There will be a private family funeral, to be followed by a larger memorial event in the autumn. We will share details with Penny’s OYT South friends in due course.
This video tribute to Penny is set to music by Police Dog Hogan, the band in which the fiddle is played by Penny’s fellow OYT South trustee Eddie Bishop, who co-wrote this song: One Last Trip Around the Sun.