Celebrating Trustees Week
This week is Trustees Week, a time to step back and recognise the amazing contribution made by charity trustees.
There are almost one million trustees across the UK, and we are very lucky to have nine brilliant trustees of our own. They are: Chris Eatwell (Chair), Ross McWilliams (Vice Chair), Paul Rowson (Vice Chair), Lora Bedford (trustee), Victoria Moss (trustee), Sunjay Chauhan (trustee), Debbie Hingerton (trustee), Tom Wake (trustee) and Shelley Sheridan (trustee).
This wonderful group of volunteers give up their time to help SNAPS to thrive. They work collectively as a board, ensuring that our charity is run as effectively as possible and that we are complying with our legal requirements. Within our board, we aim to have a mix of skills to cover the various complexities that the trustees discuss in their meetings. Each trustee is a great support to the staff team and an invaluable part of the SNAPS family.
Some of our trustees are also SNAPS parents, ensuring that our families voices remain at the heart of everything we do. This includes Lora Bedford, whose family has been coming to SNAPS since 2017.
“Becoming a trustee is a role which I feel is really important, as I can help to bring the voice of all parents back to the board, drive change where needed and continue delivering the incredible services that are already provided. I am immensely proud to be a part of this wonderful charity.”
– Lora Bedford
This year’s Trustees Week happens to coincide with Chris Eatwell’s ten year anniversary as Chair of SNAPS. Chris came on board in 2014, when our charity was really struggling and in danger of closing down. He set the foundations for SNAPS to grow dramatically and deliver a wider range of services to many more families.
Chris says: “When I first joined the Board, our greatest asset was the enthusiasm of the families and children, who were so keen for SNAPS to survive. This has been a ten-year programme of strong managed growth, investment in development, creativity and bold decisions, led by the certainty that our model was right and would enable SNAPS to continue supporting children with additional needs and their families.
“We have built something of value. Our contribution is important to our city of Leeds – our actions in supporting children and their families, in delivering quality therapeutic outcomes, our presence on the decision making bodies across the city, our strong voice helping to deliver messages about the struggle of lived experience on behalf of the voiceless. This has all helped to make our city and our communities better places to live.
“I have loved helping to build this multi-award winning movement of ours. It truly is a thing of pride and passion, of belief in a better future, of the drive to change what is wrong or doesn’t work as well as it might, and to make a better world.”
We are also sorry to say that our wonderful Vice Chair Ross McWilliams will be stepping down as Trustee. Ross joined the Board in 2016 and his support has been invaluable. From fantastic advice and support at Board meetings, to being the friendly Boccia face for families at Saturday sessions, and dressing up as a superhero to brave our Superhero Knockout Challenge obstacle course! We are all hugely grateful for all his wonderful support over the years. He has been an incredibly committed member of the Board and we are very sad to see him leave.
Ross says: “I first came across SNAPS working as a medical negligence solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, who have supported SNAPS for many years. When there was an opportunity to apply to become a trustee and I decided to give it a go. Being a SNAPS trustee has been such a rewarding and enjoyable experience. I have met some amazing people along the way and been part of something really special, helping to grow a relatively small charity into the organisation it is today.
“Whilst my term as a SNAPS trustee is sadly coming to an end, I want to continue to be involved with this amazing charity and I am certain that I will become a trustee again in the future.”
We are so thankful to each of our Trustees, we couldn’t do what we do without them!
Find out more about Trustees week here: https://trusteesweek.org/
