Venture Scotland is incredibly lucky to have a brilliant Board of Trustees who support every aspect of our work from the oversight needed to keep a charity like ours going, to the daily volunteering, driving minibuses and spending time with our participants.
Today, we’re introducing our Trustee, Jo.
I was drawn to be a volunteer because I fully believe in Venture Scotland’s vision and values, and have been lucky to be involved since I moved to Glasgow in 2018.
From day one, I have been amazed by the passion and approach of everyone involved, and I knew that I wanted to be part of the organisation. Spending time with participants on activity days, along with staff and volunteers, on bothy maintenance trips has only reinforced this belief.
I am the member of the board with responsibility for reviewing the Safety & Safeguarding Risks alongside David (VS CEO). This involves us meeting up in advance of every board meeting to check through all recorded accidents, incidents and near misses. We then review any patterns and identify key actions.
I have also been part of the Bothy Maintenance team since 2019 and have enjoyed working with other volunteers and ambassadors to look after and improve the Bothy. Away from VS, I am a practising architect and employee owner of an architectural company based in Glasgow. My work is focused on public and community buildings across Scotland.
Being part of Venture Scotland’s Board of Trustees is a great opportunity to support the Charity and to gain insight into how and why things are the way they are. I have also learnt a great deal from other board members and hopefully have been able to share some of my knowledge and experiences in return.
The first awards ceremony I attended will always stick with me. I was overwhelmed by the articulate and powerful stories the young people were brave enough to stand up and share. They made me proud to have played even a tiny role in VS.
I get a great sense of joy and satisfaction being part of an organization which gives hope to people via access to the outdoors in our beautiful country.