Our Trustees are the people in charge of our charity. They play a vital role, volunteering their time and working together to make important decisions about Play Gloucestershire’s work. Trustees’ Week is an annual event to showcase the great work that trustees do and highlight opportunities for people from all walks of life to get involved and make a difference. We asked our Trustees to tell us more about why they are part of the driving force behind Play Gloucestershire.

We asked Matt how his personal and professional experiences help our charity. “I am very lucky in that Play Gloucestershire have an incredibly strong team, well led by Pip where every one of the team is both passionate about what they do, have really strong values and are very talented. My role as both a trustee and chair of trustees, is to enable and support them in furthering our ambitions for the children and communities we serve. The team’s work is very rewarding but physically and mentally demanding – some of the toughest communities, outdoor whatever the weather, all year round with no two weeks the same. My main role is to help keep the “business planning focus”, work with them on funding challenges and make sure they take holidays to keep fresh. Our vision is clear and we constantly adapt to the changing environment to ensure we always can put the children first”. Matt says he enjoys ‘everything’ about being a trustee and calls it ‘food for the soul’. “The team are inspirational and the best bit is any opportunity to spend time with children in the communities and see the fun they have and how they develop over time. That is the best reward”.

Di Mautterer has been a trustee since 2017 and works as Trust Manager at Peter Lang Children’s Trust. She told us “I’ve lived in the county for 12 years and worked in it for 8 years.  I’d already done some volunteering locally but wanted to be a bit more active in supporting the local community.  I had been thinking about becoming a trustee or a while and then I was approached by Play Gloucestershire, so the timing was perfect. It gives me the opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills and insights from other trustees, staff members and members of the community.  It’s a chance to contribute strategically to Play Gloucestershire and gain experience at a board level. I can bring my professional experience and knowledge of working within the voluntary sector, particularly around grant funding and children’s services to the charity and  personally, my own life experiences and desire to help and support local children and communities”. Di says that “being able to play and working with such a dedicated and amazing team, as well as seeing and hearing about the impact and difference Play Gloucestershire has made” are the things she loves most about being a trustee.