Val’s Trustee Story

Hi there, can you introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Valerie Newton.

What inspired you to join the board at Purfleet?

I joined the board in February 2023. I was approached by one of the trustees – I’m a volunteer at the Guildhall and she’s also a volunteer there and she’s talked to me about the Trust, so then I came and had a conversation with the Chief Executive and she explained to me about what the what the Trust did. I was really impressed with the breadth of what they did and the impact that they had on all of their clients. So then I thought that would be a really useful thing to be involved with.

And what’s one thing that surprised you about Purfleet or about homelessness since you’ve joined?

I think the thing that surprised me, in a good way, is about how inclusive the Trust is. The volunteers, the Chief Executive, the paid staff, everybody’s got the same aim and everybody is really keen to make sure that the clients have the best outcome that they can. Everybody is just so generous of their time, very friendly, welcoming and always coming up with some great ideas that everybody’s happy to look at and embrace. It’s a fantastic organisation to be part of.

What’s a project that you feel kind of most proud of being involved with, in particular since with joined Purfleet?

I met with Paula, the Chief Executive, she asked me if I would take on the role as Chair of the Governance Committee and I’ve been doing that just over a year now. What we’ve done is we’ve looked at the government structure. Initially we had monthly meetings and now 2 monthly, but we have a policy schedule where we look through the policies to make sure they’re fit for practise, make sure they link up with current legislation. We’ve really updated and developed the policy, so I’m pleased with that, and certainly we’ve just recently done a menopause policy. I heard feedback that the staff are really pleased that we’ve got something that they can look at that is fit for practise and something they can use day-to-day – so I was really pleased with that.

In the summer, there was a big fundraising event in Snettisham and I, with some of the others, organised the cake stall! It was a really lovely day. We had lots of friends and colleagues who made cakes and had a really successful day, so I was really pleased to be part of that as well.

Is there anything that you in the future you’d like accomplish?

We know that there’s some accommodation being sorted out in Downham Market, and I think it’s just about trying to develop the Trust as far as it can be. I’ve got health background, and I’ve been invited by the Chief Executive to kind of be involved in some of the health-related projects. So I think from my point of view is anything I can do to support and develop that, and also make sure that as many people in King’s Lynn know about The Purfleet Trust.

Since I’ve joined, I’ve told a lot of friends and colleagues and not everybody was aware of it. I think it’s about making sure that you know it’s known about by all sorts of people because I think when people hear about it and they understand what they do, they’re very, very supportive of the Trust. So I think from my point of view is to make sure that, you know the word is out there and people know about it and then they can support it, because it does an excellent job.

What does being a trustee mean to you?

I think being a trustee to me is about using your past professional career to look at things in a kind of a logical, strategic way. I’m aware that as a trustee I’m not part of the management team as such, but I’m able to look at things in an objective way – to offer advice, support and an alternative opinion. But also to make sure that all the things that have to happen when it comes to a charity are undertaken. We worked very closely with the Charity Commission, any policy we do, I look at what the Charity Commission suggests.

We’ve developed a new pack for new trustees, so people completely understand what the roles about and what their responsibilities are. You need to be active as a trustee. It’s not just about going to a board meeting or going to a fundraising event. It’s about all the work that goes on behind that as well.

I’m really delighted to be part of this Trust because I think it’s a really worthwhile thing to do and it’s an amazing group of people.