Local charities from King’s home boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Westminster joined King’s first Board Bank Trustee Fair in the Great Hall on Monday 17 June.

The event aimed to connect local organisations hoping to recruit new board members with the King's community.

Charities who joined the Fair included Pecan, a community support charity serving the London Borough of Southwark and neighbouring communities, and Mental Fight Club, which provides spaces and activities for those who are socially excluded due to their mental ill health. 

Speaking about the event Mary Ward, Vice-Chair of Trustees at Lambeth-based family support charity, Welcare, said:

'The CEO and Trustees of Welcare were very pleased to be invited to the Trustee Fair at King's, and to be given the opportunity to attract potential trustees from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. I was particularly impressed by the enthusiasm and the interest in public service of all those with whom we spoke. We hope this will enable us to diversify our Board and to be more representative of the community we serve.'

Penny Wilson, CEO of Getting on Board, hosted a session for King's staff about becoming a charity board member. She added:

'The Trustee Fair was a fantastic opportunity for the King's community to meet local charities looking for new trustees. The enthusiastic response from both charities and potential trustees was wonderful, and we hope that several King's people will join charity boards as a result.'

Board Bank has been developed in response to local organisations who told us that they struggle to recruit trustees and asked if King’s could help. King’s staff and students also called for more opportunities to support our local communities during the consultation for King's Strategic Vision to 2029.

Learn more at kcl.ac.uk/local.