IN common with charities all over the country this week, Grove House is celebrating its team of hard-working and loyal trustees.

This is the first-ever National Trustee Week and they are the people in charge of a charity. They play a vital role, working together to make important decisions about the charity’s finances, activities and plans for the future.

The board of trustees at Grove House works closely with the executive management team, each bringing specific skills to help the hospice grow to meet the needs of the community. Importantly all trustees are volunteers and give their time, experience and energy freely.

During the week, sponsored by the Charities Commission and NCVO, events will be organised nationally to celebrate the work of charity trustees and encourage more people to serve their communities by signing up to support their local charities.

Grove House Chair of Trustees, David Dunbar, said: “I have been chair of trustees at Grove House for two years and it is a role I am honoured to fulfil. Having retired from my role in business, I decided I wanted to put something back into the community and be more active locally.

“I have lived in St Albans most of my life and knew about the excellent work Grove House does supporting local people with cancer and life-threatening illness. It is very rewarding to be able to use my experience to benefit the hospice and the local community.”

Grove House chief executive, Mark Lister, said: “We are very fortunate to have a strong board of trustees with a huge range of skills and experience to help us with the work we do. This has been a crucial time for Grove House as we develop 24-hour Hospice at Home care in this area. As we recruit each new nurse our need for funding increases, our experienced trustees have helped every step of the way. I am most grateful for all they do.”

For further information about the role of a trustee visit http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk