Celebrating Our Hidden Heroes: Trustees’ Week (9–13 November)
As we enter the week commencing 9 November, charity communities across the UK come together to celebrate Trustees’ Week. This annual event provides a dedicated space to showcase, thank, and celebrate the incredible work of the volunteers who serve on charity boards.
Whether working behind the scenes on policy, ensuring financial sustainability, or steering strategic direction, trustees are the bedrock of voluntary organisations up and down the country.
What is Trustees’ Week?
Trustees’ Week is an annual nationwide campaign designed to highlight the vital contribution of charity trustees. With nearly one million trustees across the UK governing over 160,000 charities, this week highlights their collective impact. It is a time to share inspiring stories, encourage new people to consider trusteeship, and reflect on how strong leadership empowers charities to survive and thrive in challenging times.
What is the Role of a Trustee?
Put simply, trustees are the unpaid volunteers who hold ultimate responsibility for governing a charity. While day-to-day operations and session delivery are managed by staff and operational volunteers, trustees focus on oversight, governance, and long-term vision.
Key responsibilities include:
Guiding Strategic Direction: Ensuring the charity stays true to its core purpose and mission.
Financial Oversight & Governance: Monitoring budgets, safeguarding assets, and ensuring funds are spent appropriately.
Legal Compliance: Ensuring the organisation abides by charity law, health and safety legislation, and regulatory standards.
Supporting Leadership: Providing guidance, advice, and constructive support to Centre Management and leadership teams.
Trustees come from all walks of life—bringing diverse professional expertise (such as legal, financial, HR, IT, or healthcare skills) alongside lived experiences as service users, carers, or community advocates.
What some of our Brightwell Trustees say about being a Trustee
Helen
Having taken early retirement, becoming a Trustee has and will continue to enable me to utilise my varied and extensive business experience with a really worthwhile and exciting charity and one very close to my heart. I can actively contribute to the running, oversight and future planning and objectives of the charity alongside a team of like-minded professionals.
This opportunity is especially important to me, having recently lost my partner, as it helps provide me with focus and motivation.
Geoff
My takeaways:
Support a cause I absolutely care about
Wanting to make a real, tangible difference
It gives me great personal satisfaction
It’s given me a greater understanding of the condition and appreciation of the strength and determination of our members who live with neurological conditions and how they remain so positive; it is an inspiration
It’s simply the best and most rewarding thing I have ever undertaken!
Paul
Having spent over 30 years in the cut-and-thrust world of commerce, I have found great pleasure in serving as a trustee on the boards of a number of charities over the past 20 years or so. I have been able to bring my knowledge and skill set to help each organisation move forward.
On the way, I have met - and indeed am still meeting - an eclectic mix of wonderful people. Each with their own attributes and experience.
Jointly we have dealt with matters in a professional and caring manner, whilst maintaining a sense of humour!
Being a trustee is life-affirming.
And great for the soul.
Caz
I am a Trustee for a number of charities and have been a school governor in the past. It is always a pleasure to work with a wide range of fellow Trustees sharing a dedicated purpose; despite having been in industry for all my working life, new skills and challenges are learnt all the time. I am very proud to be a Trustee at The Brightwell.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a Trustee at The Brightwell, please email Geoff Mayell, Chair of the Trustees, at hello@thebrightwell.org.uk
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