Trustees Week is an annual celebration of the vital role trustees play in supporting charities and making a difference in communities across the country. They are the backbone of countless organisations, working behind the scenes to ensure that services and support reach those who need them most.
This week shines a spotlight on these individuals, encouraging more people to consider becoming trustees and highlighting the incredible impact they have.
Ian, an 80-year-old former businessman, had spent years living abroad and travelling around the world running his textiles businesses. When he decided to come back to the UK 18 years ago to spend time with his grandchildren, he knew he wouldn’t settle into what most people think of retirement.
As soon as he came back to Locks Heath he started volunteering at the Countess Mountbatten Hospice before becoming a volunteer driver for Locks Heath Communicare – an organisation committed most notably to helping senior citizens get to medical appointments.
Just two years in he was asked to become chair of the organisation a role he has thrived in ever since.
“I love being busy, which is good as this keeps me very busy. But the biggest thing about being a trustee for this organisation is the incredible self-satisfaction I get from it.
“Being able to help people not only get to their medical appointments, but also in a way they can afford, is so rewarding.
“As chair of the trustees, I have been able to shape the organisation and the role enabling more hours to be spent delivering support. We have fewer meetings now – I would rather being doing the job, instead of talking about it!
“But the organisation is run well so that we always have the funds to help those pensioners most in need.
“When I was living and working in Mauritius, I didn’t think I would spend my retirement doing this, but I’m so very glad I am. You have to be committed and it’s time consuming if you do it properly, but the sense of achievement and satisfaction overrides everything.
“I can’t see myself ever stopping and I would encourage other people to do the same. You don’t have to wait until retirement!”