It’s Trustee Week (1-7 November) all this week. Here is a short interview with one of our trustees Sarah Swash. Thanks to Diana Hardman from the ‘Battersea Volunteers’ project for putting this together.
Tell us about Katherine Low Settlement and the area it works in.
Katherine Low Settlement is a fantastic charity which runs a range of local community services for children, young people and their families, women and refugees and newly-arrived communities. It campaigns for social change and supports other charities and communities to thrive. I first started working with KLS in 2014 as a learning mentor and found it really rewarding.
What made you want to become a trustee for Katherine Low Settlement?
I decided to become a trustee 3 years ago because I wanted to get more involved. Before becoming a trustee, I knew all about the excellent work of Love to Learn (KLS’s learning mentoring programme for children and young people) – but much less about KLS’s wider work.
What do you feel trusteeship adds to your personal and professional development?
I love being able to contribute to the charity through being a trustee. I learn so much and it enables me to better understand a wider diversity of issues in my professional life. It brings me fresh perspectives, and I particularly enjoy seeing KLS’s impact on such a wide variety of people in the community we serve. I find it inspiring and rewarding to work with such an impressive team and feel privileged to be able to contribute alongside them.
What value have you been able to add to your charity with your personal and professional experience?
I would like to think I’ve been able to bring a fresh perspective to the work of the charity including applying my strategic professional skills and my personal experience from other voluntary work I’ve done ever since leaving school. I’d also like to think I’ve been able to provide personal support to the team. I do however feel that I get out more than I’m able to put in!
If you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking about becoming a trustee what would it be?
Definitely do it! Choose a cause that you really care about and you will find that it is extremely rewarding and enjoyable.
Our volunteers are truly amazing. They help us run all of our community services.
If you’re interested in volunteering then please fill in our ‘Volunteer Application Form’.
Our volunteers help with:
Do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
Katherine Low Settlement is a much-loved, busy charity that has been at the heart of the community in Battersea, south-west London, since 1924.
With a few staff and a lot of volunteers, Katherine Low Settlement runs a range of its own popular community projects including educational courses and wellbeing activities. The charity supports children, young people and their families, older people, refugees and newly arrived communities of all genders, nationalities and religions.
The Katherine Low Settlement building in Battersea High Street, opened in 1924, is used for community activities and events, usually – until the arrival of Covid-19 – by over 500 people a week. Its rooms are available for hire at affordable rates.
Katherine Low Settlement is grateful for the funding received from supporters, trusts and foundations to enable the charity to continue to reduce poverty and isolation and bring Battersea together.
Aaron Barbour
Director
Katherine Low Settlement
Telephone: 020 7223 2845
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.klsettlement.org.uk
Pictures
High resolution digital images available from Katherine Low Settlement press contacts.