Goodbye and thank you to Hannah!
We are very sad to announce that after three years, Hannah Crabtree is stepping down from our board of trustees. Hannah has been an essential part of building Skipton Step Into Action up from the beginning and we are so grateful for all that she has done during her time as a Trustee. Hannah will still be a part of the charity, mainly as Chief Elf coordinating our annual Christmas Elves appeal. Here are a few words from Hannah on her experience with us:
“I joined SSIA in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. I had become a new mum in November 2019 and, like everyone else in that situation, being stuck inside with a newborn had not been part of the plan. Through Facebook I saw the beginning of a huge surge in community spirit, and wanted to help. I got involved with the Gargrave community group, using my skills and experience with coordinating volunteers from my work at Carers’ Resource, and we quickly teamed up with the wider Skipton area to become SSIA.
Starting on the phones, I took shifts as a Lead Coordinator, speaking to people who needed shopping and prescriptions, and finding volunteers to help. It was very rewarding, and gave me the feeling of being part of a community, that I was really missing with not being able to attend the baby groups I had planned to join. Honestly, it was just nice to speak to people!
As the months went by, I became more and more involved with SSIA, and when discussions started taking place about ‘making it official’ and forming a charity, I was delighted to be asked to be one of the founding Trustees, becoming Chair a year later.
The next three years were a huge learning curve for me – finding out what setting up a charity involved; recruiting and employing staff; and working out how we could fund and deliver the projects we wanted to offer. It wasn’t all plain sailing, but the thing that always carried us through was having a strong set of values to guide us; a dedicated team, pulling in the same direction and a community that kept stepping up. Our CEO, Charlotte, worked incredibly hard (and well over her hours!) to not only set up the organisation but to do it in an incredibly thorough manner, always leading from the front in setting very high standards for us in the way we operate.
We now have a dedicated team of Trustees that bring expertise from many walks of life, as well as an extremely hardworking staff team who have an incredible range of skills, not to mention a huge number of people who have volunteered their time and skills in so many different ways in service of our community. I am genuinely proud to have made a contribution to SSIA becoming the organisation it is today.
Last year, I had to make the very tough decision to stand down from the board. I’m now mum to two children, as well as being back at work, and being a carer for my brother, and it was starting to feel like there weren’t enough hours in the day! Having been involved since the start, it felt very odd to step away, but it’s time for a new group of people to take the helm and take SSIA on to new heights.
The strength of SSIA has always been that it is truly formed from our community, and that it is about using the skills, gifts and talents we all possess to make the community happier and stronger. I know from my own experience just how much a sense of purpose can do for you, and I would really encourage everyone to own their talents, and see where they can help.
I look forward to continuing to be involved with SSIA as ‘Chief Elf’ for the Christmas Elves appeal, and to seeing whatever comes next for the rest of the organisation.
With love and gratitude,
Hannah”
