This is #TrusteesWeek, an annual celebration of the wonderful work trustees do, volunteering their time and using their vast experience to help make charities tick.

Kate Hodgson (pictured left with fellow trustee Sue Thomson) is a solicitor specialising in employment law who heads up the employment team at Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors. She is also our Legal Trustee Representative and has been on the CancerCare Board since 2016.

We caught up with Kate to find out what her role as a trustee involves and what inspired her to give up her valuable free time to help us support the local community.

“I joined CancerCare after meeting with former Chief Exec Neil Townsend, who provided insight into the wonderful work the charity does for those affected by cancer and bereavement. Most people associate cancer charities with hospices and end of life care, whereas CancerCare offers support to those diagnosed, and their loved ones, by providing counselling, therapy and support groups.

“It’s a unique charity in this area and one that I’m immensely proud to be a tiny part of.

“As the Board of Trustees our primary role is to safeguard the charity’s assets, and we are responsible for directing how the charity is managed and run. However, we work alongside the senior management team in doing so, and value their opinions and insights when making our decisions.

“The charity has a fantastic team of staff, volunteers and trustees, and there is a great sense of us all being part of one team; encouraging, supporting, respecting and celebrating each other, together.”

We are lucky at CancerCare to have a fantastic board that used all their collective skills and expertise to help steer us through the choppy waters of the last couple of years and continues to be a reassuring anchor, offering guidance and encouragement as we look to the future.