Trustees’ Week 2025

It’s Trustees’ Week: 3-7 November 2025

Trustees’ Week takes place every year. It aims to showcase the great work trustees do!

Trustees are the people in charge of a charity. They play a very important role, volunteering their time and working together to make important decisions about a charity’s work.

Thank you

We would like to thank all of our Grace Eyre trustees for sharing their time, talent and experience:

• Anna Cooley (Co-Chair)
• Josh Puglia (Co-Chair)
• Simon Owen (Deputy Chair)
• Andrew Horne (Treasurer)
• Bobby Dhol
• Stuart Leaney
• Lisa Ryan
• Stephanie Smith
• Dom McMahon
• Natalie Miller Lazcano

We would also like to thank the following trustees who have resigned in the last year:

• Liv Corbishley (Chair)
• Samantha Boast
• Daniel Parsonage
• Mark Blake

Our new Co-Chairs

Anna Cooley became Chair of the Board of Trustees earlier this year. Anna had been the previous Deputy Chair. She has lots of experience in the supported accommodation and social care sectors.

Anna was later joined by Josh Puglia as Co-Chair. Josh is the very first person with lived experience of a learning disability and/or autism to lead our Board.

You can read about Josh’s story, as well as Stuart’s story, who is another of our trustees, and learn more about all of our trustees.

Trustee training for people with a learning disability and/or autism

We have developed a trustee training programme for people with a learning disability and autistic people.

We did this because while we know many charity boards want to be more inclusive, there were previously no accessible training courses available designed to support people with a learning disability and/or autism who wanted to become trustees. Our free, three-week course explains what a charity and what a trustee is, how to manage risk and work as a team, and what happens at a board meeting.

Grace Eyre currently has four trustees with a learning disability and/or autistic people who help to lead our organisation and has helped others into positions with other charities. Our aim is to increase this number and make sure new trustees are fully prepared by providing this accessible training.

Josh, Co-chair of the Grace Eyre Board of Trustees, said:

“The training is useful for new trustees coming in. It helps you be prepared for board meetings. It helps you to understand what is being talked about.

I became a trustee because I’m a very big advocate for people who are not only autistic but with learning disabilities and it is very important because you get a say and have your voice heard at board level.”

If you would like to know more or if you are interested in joining our next trustee training course, please visit our corporate training page or contact Emma Willcocks at ewillcocks@grace-eyre.org.