“Over One Million Trustees”
Across United Kingdom there are 196,000 charities, every single one of them requires trustees. There are over one million trustees in the United Kingdom.
Trustees are crucial to charities, giving their time voluntarily to ensure the smooth running of charitable organisations such as the Cynon Valley Museum. Did you know that the museum was run by trustees as a charity? For Trustees Week we are taking a moment to reflect on what trustees do and why you might choose to be a trustee yourself.
Reopening Cynon Valley Museum
The Cynon Valley Museum became a charity in 2015, the newly established board of trustees, were successful in building the momentum and securing the funding required to reopen the museum to the public in 2016 (You can find our reopening story here). Since then the board of trustees have continued to give their time and expertise to guide the museum.
Trustees play an important role, in small organisations such as the Cynon Valley Museum, their experiences and skills are used to develop strategies, manage an organisations finances, and give specific expert guidance for example in HR, Retail or Fundraising. Every trustee brings specific experiences and skills which are essential to the running of the organisation they are part of.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought new challenges to charities across the UK including to the Cynon Valley Museum. During the closure, our trustees still met remotely and continued to work to secure the museum’s long-term future.
What do our Trustees Say?
We spoke with Jeremy, one of our long-standing Trustees, about his experience on the Board.
How did you become a Trustee?
I was a member of the local history society. We heard that Cynon Valley Museum was due to close under Government austerity cuts. A group was formed to keep the museum open through a charitable trust. I was asked to join to represent the interests of Cynon valley heritage.
What sort of things do you do as a Trustee of the museum?
Honestly… anything… everything!
Strictly speaking, it should mostly be legal and strategic matters. However, a small organisation like Cynon Valley Museum often means trustees are called on to do all sorts of different things. Actually, that is the best part of it – to be active and contributing on a regular basis, and in a place like a museum, it is very enjoyable.
What are the benefits of being a trustee?
It’s very interesting, and gives me a great sense of satisfaction. One of the main benefits is that its intellectually challenging but in a way that you see the practical results of your efforts on a day-to-day basis. When I’m in the museum and it’s full of people, particularly children, and the building is alive with activity and noise, there is clear evidence that, in a small way, I am contributing to the life of the community.
The Chair of the Board of Trustees, Richard, explains his journey becoming a Trustee at Cynon Valley Museum.
Join Cynon Valley Museum Board of Trustees
The Cynon Valley Museum Trust (CVMT) is actively recruiting new trustees to join its Board. We are looking for trustees who can add their expertise and real-life experiences to help guide the museum through the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond ensuring the museum is here for us and future generations at the heart of our Cynon Valley community.
If you would like to apply to join the board of trustees please get in touch.
Click here to visit the become a Trustee webpage for further information on the role of a Trustee and how to apply.
You can also contact the Chair of the Board of Trustees Richard Jones by emailing rjones@cynonvalleymuseum.wales. We welcome applications from all, and specifically are seeking applications from people with financial management experience and who would consider joining the museum as the Boards Treasurer.
