High profile trustees get behind first annual Trustees’ Week
25th - 31st October 2010

A number of high-profile trustees, including newscaster, Jon Snow; cricketer, Andrew Flintoff; former newspaper editor and journalist, Eve Pollard; model, Natalia Vodianova; former newsreader and journalist, Martyn Lewis and actresses, Brooke Kinsella and Jenny Seagrove are supporting the launch of Trustees' Week (25th - 31st October 2010). Whilst there are around 800,000 trustees in England and Wales, estimates suggest that almost half of charities have a vacancy on their trustee board. The week celebrates the fantastic work done by existing trustees and aims to increase awareness and understanding of the trustee role.

Organised by The Charity Commission, in partnership with Charity Trustee Networks (CTN), the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), Reach Volunteering, Getting on Board and the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales), the week also involves providing a trustee matching service

Dame Suzi Leather, Chair of the Charity Commission, said: “The work of charities touches millions of people every day and is a real force for social change in every community and neighbourhood in the country. Trustees are the driving force behind every great charity – large and small – and are responsible for making decisions about their direction and activity. Usually volunteers, motivated by passion, commitment and enthusiasm for a charity’s work, trustees give their time to make a difference.

“During Trustees’ Week we want to celebrate trustees’ huge contribution to society. We would also like to raise awareness beyond the charity sector of just what trusteeship is all about. Many people have skills and experience that they could bring to being a charity trustee, but our research shows that often people do not know what the role entails. Talking to trustees I’m always struck by the thing they have in common – a desire to live a life beyond themselves.”

Jon Snow has been the main presenter of Channel 4 News for twenty years and has reported from Zambia to Afghanistan in that time. He is also Chair of the New Horizon Youth Centre - a day centre for homeless teenagers in central London. He worked there as Director from 1970 to 1973 and has been on the management committee ever since, defying good practice by being Chair since 1986. His first brush with the voluntary sector was as a volunteer teacher in Uganda for VSO in 1968. He is Deputy Chair of the Media Trust and served as a trustee of both the National and Tate Galleries for two four-year terms.

He, said: "Trusteeship is mind-expanding, at times demanding, almost always rewarding, and constantly surprising. It has given me the opportunity to learn about the lives and issues of others, developing a perspective on elements of life I might never otherwise have encountered. Becoming a trustee can bring enormous personal fulfilment and may be of more value to others than you begin to know."

Jon has just been appointed a trustee of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and is also a Trustee of the Noel Buxton Trust and the Frank Longford Charitable Trust.

Mark Hoda is trustee of two charities, the Gandhi Foundation (292629) and Jeevika Trust (working name of the India Development Group, 291167), of which he is Chair and Secretary respectively. He became involved in both charities through family connections, and has been a trustee since 2003. Hoda, who works for Network Rail, said: “For me, trusteeship is a way of making a real difference. If you are passionate about a particular cause, one of the most effective way of getting involved and making a difference is to become a trustee of a charity working in that area. You really can change the world. At the same time it’s been of real benefit to me personally, giving me the opportunity to meet loads of different people and to learn new skills that have helped me in my professional life.”

For further information visit www.trusteesweek.org.uk.