Young Lancastrian of the Year Dave Walker has a special mission in life outside running his successful marketing and IT business – making sure the people of Burnley and Pendle have a first class hospice service.
Dave is just one of 11 unpaid trustees who endeavour to ensure Pendleside Hospice shines as both a health care charity and as a business.
And it is the behind-the-scenes efforts of this special group of volunteers that has been honoured during National Trustees’ Week which ends today.
The week hoped to showcase the great work that trustees do and highlight opportunities for people from all walks of life to get involved and make a difference.
Pendleside’s trustees are a group of high calibre people with a wide range of business experience who give up their time to ensure the people of Burnley and Pendle enjoy a second-to-none service to promote and enhance quality of life for people with life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers.
Dave Walker, who recently won the Lancashire Business View’s Sub 36 Lancastrian of the Year award and has been a trustee for four years, said: “I got involved with Pendleside because it is so close to everyone’s heart in our area. It seems we all have a connection in some way and it seemed a no brainer to get involved in something that means so much to so many.”
He added: “Pendleside has a massive feel-good factor and I enjoy being on the board of trustees with some very successful and talented people and it’s a privilege to work alongside them.
“As well as offering my experience I also find I have learned so much from not only the other trustees but also from the staff at Pendleside. It’s a positive place to be and the role of trustee is never a chore.
“All of the trustees are incredibly committed and really want to make a difference. We have such a good balance of people with different skills and experiences, different ages and a good balance of men and women which helps us to cover all angles.
“I feel we have such a strong team at Pendleside. And that’s not just the trustees but the senior management team and the dedicated staff and volunteers throughout the service. Everyone in the organisation is important and adds value.”
Pendleside chief executive Helen McVey said: “The strategic role of a trustee is to help drive the direction of the hospice making sure it is run with efficient governance and meets the requirements of the Care Quality Commission.
“At Pendleside we have a great team who collectively get heavily involved in the decisions they make and contribute enormously to helping make the hospice perform efficiently working closely with the senior management staff.
“Generally, trustees give up one full day a month of their own time to help the running of the hospice. In practice, however, we find they often give up much more of their time supporting fundraising events.”