Evan’s Journey as Our Trustee

03.11.25 | Blog

I started to be part of discussion about the idea for an organisation when I was 21 years old, and after working with Duncan and others we formally set up the charity and I joined the Board when I was 23, later becoming the Deputy Chair.  When I joined, there was an idea and a lot of passion and drive but there was no funding, and only the shell of an organisation.  In that time, we went from Christos doing a sponsored run to raise funds for a Pay As You Go phone to form a helpline, and a borrowed room Manchester, to an organisation which has been represented at the UN and involved in countless government reviews, and most importantly supporting thousands of men across the North West and being part of changing the narrative and public perception of male survivorship nationally.

When I started, I knew that we would give it everything but ultimately, I knew that there was every chance that as much as I knew something was needed, that change was needed, that none of us could have foreseen our survival this far, let alone that we would flourish and be agents of change in the way that we have. I am incredibly proud of having even a small impact on that over the years.

For me, being a trustee is something I’ve always taken very seriously.  I carry the weight of the legal, ethical, regulatory and financial responsibilities as well as the obligation to ensure that the organisation makes the right strategic decisions.  It can only be effective if it is viable and sustainable.  And we have all seen or heard about organisations where that hasn’t happened, and the organisation, the workforce but most importantly those they serve have paid the price.

But in doing so, it has also given me experiences and learning that I would and could never have had through other facets of my personal and professional life.  I am a part of something, something I believe in with every fibre of my being and I fulfil a fundamentally different role to executive, husband or father.

In the time that I’ve been a trustee, we have gone from a borrowed room to furnished offices, from being run by Duncan as our sole volunteer to leading an incredibly skilled, compassionate and motivated workforce.  From consistently closed doors, to bursting through them or finding those who share our passion and are prepared to support us to or give us a platform to reach more.  And it’s a good thing we were established when we did, as the country has faced an almost consistent series of traumatic incidents, from operation Yewtree and the footballer scandal to Reynard Sinaga.  But we have also seen society shift from silence to active discussion, with mainstream shows like Hollyoaks, Coronation Steet, Eastenders and Baby Reindeer bringing light not just to the trauma of abuse, but also the incredible power of survivorship.

And that brings me to something else that has changed over the time that I’ve been a trustee, which is that the numbers accessing our services have increased every year without fail.  Whilst that assures us that our services are relevant and impactful, I’ve never lost sight of the fact that each number represents a life, and a family and community surrounding that life that is affected in incalculable ways by an unjust disempowerment, a trauma, that needs to heal and may also seek justice.

To do that, of course, the organisation and the executive team need to focus consistently on improvement and development, to servicing the engine whilst its still running, but to develop an impactful organisation it also takes a Board who will support, challenge, scrutinise and advocate.  It needs a Board and trustees who have energy and drive, even more when times are at their most difficult than when they are not.  And I have been truly blessed to have shared a Board with some incredible trustees, people who have motivated and inspired me to be better, and to do better – people who I feel lucky and sometimes intimidated to work alongside.  And with Craig as a Chair, I really couldn’t have asked for anything more.

So, being a trustee should not be easy, and it definitely hasn’t always been.  We have faced existential funding risks, we have had powerful political figures encourage us to speak less loudly, we have undertaken years of work to see it either not have the backing or impact that we would have liked.  But, every time we have picked ourselves up, learnt what we can and it has only added fuel to our passion and hunger to do more.  There has been tears, but there has also been elation.

And so, although I’ve been a trustee now formally for 16 years, in many ways it has felt like the blink of an eye.  And whilst I’m gradually approaching half my life having been spent as a trustee, I can honestly say that it has been amongst the most challenging but rewarding things I’ve ever done.  And 16 years later, We Are Survivors has only just begun and our ambitions have only grown.

So, for Trustees Week, I’d like to say thank you to all of my fellow trustees and to thank you for having me amongst your number, when you do what you do well, it can often feel unseen, but it is always seen and valued.  Happy Trustees Week.