To celebrate Trustee’s week – an annual event to showcase the great work our trustees do – we spoke to Gerry about his experience as a trustee of Emmaus Dover. We are so grateful to Gerry and all of our trustees for the amazing work they do supporting our community. You can find out more about our community and the work we do here.
Why did you want to be an Emmaus Dover trustee?
“My wife works as a community leader and I was very interested to learn more about what the Charity is all about, so I started to attend the site to see and was amazed at the whole ethos of the company and their values. I put myself forward as I believed I could help with volunteering and giving advice in areas that I work in at present, which are hospitality, Retail, HR and so on.”
What is your background and what has your career path been?
“My background is in Catering & Hospitality, I have been working my way in current company for 26 years from General Manager to my current role of Head of Operational Control UK which involves everything from process, purchasing, HR, loss prevention and people management.”
What do you enjoy most about being a trustee?
“I enjoy going to the site and meeting the companions , seeing how they are all progressing in different ways. The most enjoyable part is seeing companions ready to make the step back into society and succeed. I also enjoy the social side, things like quizzes, pool nights, trips out with the companions and staff which shows how well they all trust each other. It’s great to be welcomed by all the companions when I turn up at the Fort, it makes me feel proud that they all can get along with me.”
Where would you like to see Emmaus Dover in five years’ time?
“I would like to see Emmaus Dover finish its main aim which is the Fort building project, and has started well with the completion of the new Warehouse.”
Can you sum up what Emmaus means to you in one sentence?
“Togetherness and Hope.”
Tell us something interesting about you:
“I am a charity fundraiser for Macmillan and recently held a race night & raffle within my company SSP UK. I helped to raise just under 4k in one night (dressed as a horse!) It made me so proud at what can be achieved.
What do you feel most grateful for?
“Having my family around me as seeing the companions and speaking to them about their struggles makes me realise how lucky I am.”
What is your biggest achievement?
“Helping raise 800k within SSP UK for Macmillan.”