I am one of a group of trustees that makes up the Board of Trustees of The Fremantle Trust. I, along with two others, was appointed in 2015, joining a well established team of experienced trustees.

Between us we have a range of career and business backgrounds which are applied collectively for the benefit of the Trust. These include legal, scientific, IT, nursing and local authority positions as well as general business experiences.

With my career coming to an end I was keen to find interesting and worthwhile opportunities for my own fulfilment whilst contributing to a worthy cause. In both respects I have achieved this within the Trust which offers services to older people and adults with learning disabilities.

Management of the Trust rests with its Senior Management Team under the leadership of our new Chief Executive, Sara Livadeas, who I am pleased to welcome to the organisation. The trustees engage with the Senior Management Team on a regular basis through Board meetings, committees and panels. Collectively we seek to ensure appropriate governance, strengthen the Trust’s financial position and develop its services to the highest levels of quality. 

Trustees also visit homes and services to see first hand how these operate and to discuss any issues with the respective teams, residents, service users and relatives.  I have found the commitment shown by everyone within The Fremantle Trust, from care and support workers in the homes, through to management, trustees and colleagues at our Business Support Centre, to be most impressive in terms of care, compassion and ongoing improvements in all  they do.

There are of course ongoing challenges in what is a difficult sector for all those that operate within it. This has meant we have sometimes faced some demanding situations requiring difficult decisions to be made under what can be stressful circumstances, but this is all part and parcel of being a trustee.

For me and my colleagues on the Board, being a trustee of such a highly principled charity has proved to be most rewarding.

For anyone who might be interested in joining us in this capacity please go to: https://www.fremantletrust.org/support-us/become-a-trustee

Author:

Alan Howard, Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees