From global business MD to Headway Nottingham Trustee... This Trustees Week, Ken Bird tells us what motivates him to give up his time to fulfil a voluntary governance and strategic role with Headway Nottingham's Board of Trustees.

"This year I became a trustee of Headway Nottingham after 3 years doing volunteer work here, and in some ways that was to answer the question “what else could you do to help?” For all of us we need to look at what we have in our minds and hearts that might be of use, and then decide what best to do.

"I came originally as a volunteer because the choir I was singing with adopted Headway Nottingham as its charity for a year and I got to hear about its work. Through volunteering I came to know how much support people with brain injuries can need. My main thought can often be that these are people whose lives were the same as mine until a moment in time when a fall, an accident, a stroke, a tumour, led to a permanent fork in the road for them, and also for their families. Befriending, conversation, singing, listening, are all parts of the volunteer’s input.

"Volunteers also take some daily load from the regular staff. Amongst my learnings is how skilled and dedicated the staff at Headway Nottingham are.

"Why become a trustee? Any organisation needs plans, needs funds, needs oversight, and needs some caring energy to help it along. In retirement from paid work there are many things that can absorb time, but using acquired experience to try and assist Headway Nottingham is one of the better things that I have decided to do."

For more information on joining Headway Nottingham's Board of Trustees, take a look at our volunteering pages or contact our Services Manager, Charlotte at [email protected].