In 1989 IVAC’s General Secretary, Steve Balkam, succeeded in inviting the prominent academic and activist Professor Stuart Hall to give an address at IVAC’s Annual General Meeting. His seminal speech entitled ‘The Voluntary Sector Under Attack?’ set out a very broad if controversial overview to understand the challenges facing the sector and consider how to respond. It was a feather in the cap of IVAC to provide the platform – agree with it or not – for such an important insight. The full text of the speech was converted into a pamphlet, still available on VAI’s website. Celebrating 50 Years of Service 21