Juliet Hobbs toasts her time as a Walton Charity Trustee

I have been a trustee for Walton Charity for twelve years and was appointed Vice Chairperson in April 2014. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone from when I first started to think about giving something back by volunteering in my local community!

My day job, in Human Resources and People Leadership for a Professional Services company, has meant I’ve supported the Charity across a number of facets. It has enabled me to meet some great people, both working for the Charity and fellow trustees, but what I’ve loved most is learning about our local community. Going about your daily activities, you’re just not exposed to that. My knowledge and understanding of our local community has grown so much over the years.

Living in Walton, and very close to some of the Charity’s sheltered housing, has also played a key part in me feeling part of the Charity. I recently attended an event where a time capsule was buried in the grounds of one of our sheltered housing schemes. The capsule will be a poignant reminder in years to come of the pandemic as it was filled with items that symbolised life during the recent Covid lockdowns. It really captured the positivity and resilience of both our sheltered residents and the local community.

“Reflecting on the past twelve years, the Charity has grown into such a forward-looking and enabling operation and it has been great to have been a part of it.”

To anyone looking to be a trustee I’d say absolutely go for it! It’s a fantastic opportunity to do something different, learn about your local community, and build and embed relationships with incredible people. It really feels like you’re giving back.