In recognition of Trustees Week (4th - 8th November), our Chair, Marilyn K. Hambly has shared her journey to joining our Board of Trustees and why Trustees Week is important to us.

 

 

Background 

My professional career included many years working in local government at senior level in the planning and management of health and social care services. I also have experience of developing and managing information and advice services together with social inclusion and regeneration projects within disadvantaged communities.  My three years spent working for a national charity helped me to better understand the valuable role played by the voluntary sector in supporting people struggling with health and disability issues. Prior to retirement, I was a commissioning manager for a local authority where my focus was on services to support Carers.  

I am a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health and I remain engaged and committed to health promotion issues. I am keen to see greater emphasis nationally on the needs of Carers of all ages and, in particular, more recognition of the impact of caring on mental and physical health.  

 

What does being a trustee mean to you, and why is it important to support unpaid Carers? 

I have been a DCA Trustee for the last 12 years and have served as the Chair of the Board since 2020. I have retired from paid employment but currently volunteer for several community groups and activities. My role as a Trustee at DCA is very important and satisfying to me, because it enables me to make use of knowledge and skills gained during a career, which spanned over 47 years.  My commitment to addressing the support needs of family and friend Carers stems from my own family experiences in the 1990s when my mother was struggling to cope at home with the care of my father. He had been severely disabled by a stroke, but no support services were available to my mother at that time.  More recently, I faced my own struggles in caring for my husband who suffered from bowel cancer and suspected dementia. He died in 2022. 

Caring for a loved one in 2024 has become increasingly more difficult for unpaid Carers, whose numbers include children and young people. Health and support services are diminishing as local authorities and the NHS struggle to meet demands amid increased pressures on limited budgets. Levels of stress are rising considerably and creating even more health problems amongst those who look after family members and friends. Thus, the role of a charity, such as Derbyshire Carers Association, is increasingly important in helping unpaid Carers to cope.  

 

Why is Trustees Week important to you, and how can people support the work of unpaid Carers and DCA during this time? 

Trustees Week is an opportunity to highlight the role of Trustees and to hopefully encourage more people to consider this type of volunteering. At Derbyshire Carers Association, we want to encourage people with real life experience and/or knowledge of diverse communities to consider applying for a Trustee role. We have also recently introduced a new role of Associate Trustee to enable volunteers to help our work in supporting family and friend Carers by considering a role that is less time consuming and less demanding than that of a full member of the Board. The new role is suitable for anyone interested in using their knowledge and experiences to help our charity improve and expand our services to Carers. Some new Associate Trustees may also wish to use the role as a first step towards eventually becoming a full Trustee and Director of our Charity Company. 

 

 

 

Are you interested in helping us to make a difference to the lives of Carers?