North Swindon MP Praises Local Charity Trustees

To mark the start of the seventh annual Trustees’ Week, Justin Tomlinson, MP for North Swindon, is celebrating the important contribution that charity trustees make to their local communities and thanking the 1455 trustees in North Swindon for their hard work over the last year.

A wide range of activities and services are carried out by the charities in North Swindon. All of which couldn’t carry out their important work without the diligent efforts of trustees, most of whom are volunteers.

Trustees Week which runs from 7-13 November highlights the important work that charity trustees do all year round and raises awareness of how people can gain valuable experience and skills through volunteering as a charity trustee. This year’s theme for Trustees’ Week focuses on Stronger Charities through Good Leadership, reflecting the excellent leadership the Charity Commission often sees in its case work from a range of trustees and charity staff.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “The charities in North Swindon wouldn’t be able to make a difference without the important contribution of the charity trustees. With so many great local charities doing important work, I want to mark the start of national Trustees’ Week by thanking the 1455 local charity trustees for their tireless dedication to the civic life of North Swindon. I would like to encourage anyone thinking of becoming a trustee to use Trustees’ Week to find out more about the role and the various ways they can get involved. Trusteeship brings excellent opportunities including meeting new people, developing new skills, and applying existing expertise to new, real-life challenges.”

William Shawcross, Chairman of the Charity Commission, said: “We know the work of trustees is crucial to the success of their charities, and they often bear a considerable load. However, this Trustees Week we want to encourage trustees to keep doing excellent work - and remind them that despite the recent increase in focus, the legal burden hasn't changed. We see great stewardship in our engagement with charities, often by trustees facing difficult and complex situations. Some of the best decision-making we have seen has been a product of having diversity on boards, meaning trustees can challenge each other and offer conflicting perspectives to ultimately achieve the best outcome for their charity.”

Trustees’ Week runs 7-13 November 2016. To learn more about Trustees’ Week and trusteeship, visit www.trusteesweek.org and follow @trusteesweek. The website includes case studies, recruitment resources, details of local events being held during Trustees’ Week and links to trustee matching services for those who want to become a trustee.