We chatted to Susan Milner, our Chair of Trustees, to find out how she got involved with Home-Start Bradford District and what she personally brings to the Board.
How did you find out about Home-Start Bradford
My previous employer encouraged managers to do more volunteering and the position for a Trustee for Home-Start Bradford District was the one that caught my eye! That was over six years ago now in 2016.
What does your Trustee role involve?
I have got a business background and I’m a human resources consultant, so I have lots of transferable skills that help with the governance and decision making at Home-Start Bradford. I work as part of the senior management team and support the Operational Manager in her role.
By volunteering as a Trustee, I am using skills that I gained in the business world but I am using them to give something back to the community.
How would you encourage someone to become a trustee?
I would tell them that you get a lot of satisfaction from helping and supporting others and using skills that you have gained in a different environment. It gives you a challenge and a chance to see if you can do something with your skills in a different way. Without volunteers, charities would struggle.
What would you say to try and encourage people to volunteer with Home-Start Bradford District?
Becoming a volunteer presents a development opportunity in terms of the skills that they will learn, access to learning, which improves employability and adds value to their CV.
I don’t think people realise how invaluable the support of volunteers is – we have no shortage of families across Bradford that are struggling and are crying out for that support, in fact our referral rates have gone up 30% in the last year alone!
