Insights

“I’m a Trustee of Blind Veterans UK, which was established over 100 years ago as St Dunstan’s to support blinded and sight-impaired soldiers returning from the First World War. Many had lost their sight to mustard gas and other horrors of war. Thankfully, war-related sight loss is less of an issue today, but sight loss or impairment comes to many veterans over time, so the need for charities never goes away.

For me, being a charity trustee is the greatest honour you can have. Being able to use my knowledge and experience to help others is deeply rewarding. To see our work make other people’s lives better is extremely satisfying. In our case, it’s about rebuilding lives after sight loss so that people can live as independently as possible. The charity also brings together people who can suffer in isolation, as well as providing respite for their carers. 

My journey began in the Army many years ago and I have always been grateful to the armed forces for giving me a leg up in early life. It was therefore natural to give something back later on, and I’ve been connected to many armed forces charities since. The experiences of helping these organisations was the catalyst to setting up Charity Intelligence, knowing how charities sometimes struggle to find good and appropriate professional advice.

I’ve never stopped learning from my trustee work and it has broadened my perspective of life tremendously. It can be tense at times, when you have to make difficult decisions that can affect others, and Blind Veterans, like many charities, have had to make significant cuts in recent years to balance the books. This has led to greater collaboration with other sight impairment charities to share best practice.

One thing I’d like to pass on to others who are considering becoming a Trustee is to be bold, be open minded, and you will enjoy the experience. If you’re time or income constrained, start with a smaller local organisation and be clear about any limitations from the start. You’ll benefit from the experience as much as those who will benefit from the charity you join.”