As a trustee for The Solicitors Charity has bowed out of her ten year term a a board member, she reflects on the non profit’s progression and growth as her term of office ends.
Kirsty McEwen, TEP, Partner and Head of Charity and Not for Profit for Higgs LLP, has served as a Trustee for The Solicitors’ Charity since 2014. As she ends her decade long term, the charity has reflected that Ms McEwen has been an active Board Member, acted as Treasurer and chaired the People and Development Committee during that time. The organisation says her ‘experience and approach have been invaluable, especially as this has been a transformative time for the Charity, becoming the modern, wellbeing support organisation that it is today’.
Ms McEwen says of the experience: “I have found being a Trustee for The Solicitors’ Charity immensely rewarding and interesting. Understanding that there are many colleagues in my profession (and those who have retired) needing the safety net the Charity provides means that I have been acutely aware of the challenges that people face – like money worries, poor mental health and professional challenges at work.”
“I am pleased and proud to have been a trustee at a pivotal time when we can provide solicitors with help with so many aspects of their wellbeing. This could include struggling with the cost of living and money management, ill health, disability, domestic violence, and anxiety, which may be caused by work-related stress.”
“As my term of office ends, the important work that The Solicitors’ Charity does continues, and I would urge anyone to reach out in times of need for non-judgemental and confidential all-round support. I would also remind firms and local Law Societies that donations of all kinds are welcomed, including unclaimed client balances. Please do think of the Charity when you have spare funds available”.
The Solicitors’ Charity provides comprehensive support to improve the wellbeing of solicitors, helping them to overcome life’s challenges. People approach the charity for help for all sorts of reasons – because of struggles with the cost of living and money management, ill health, disability, distress through domestic violence, and anxiety, often caused by work-related stress or life-connected trauma.
The Chair of The Solicitors’ Charity, Ginny Cannon, said: “Kirsty has been an invaluable member of the Board. She has served as Treasurer and as Chair of the People and Development Committee. She has also been our Charity Law expert, providing excellent guidance in the increasingly complex world of charity governance. Kirsty has played a huge part in keeping the Charity safe over the last 10 years and we all owe her a huge debt of gratitude and will miss her.”
“Personally, I will miss her greatly, particularly for her good-natured down-to-earth approach, and flashes of humour and empathy which have lightened the load when considering sometimes gruelling topics and scenarios. It has been a pleasure to work with you.”
The Solicitor’s Charity have said that ‘support in the form of regular donations from trusts, foundations, local law societies, firms and individuals, and unclaimed client balances (RCBs) from firms, is needed more than ever by the charity in these challenging times’. The charity works with clients to identify packages of wellbeing support to help them return to be self-sustaining with forms of psychotherapy, assessments and funded sessions with qualified therapists. If individuals have issues with finances, the charity helps with budgeting and drawing up money plans. The Solicitor’s Charity paired signed up Pennysmart earlier this year due an increase in demand of their financial aid services. The organisation also helps those who need a break from work, need to change sector and even those who have been made redundant and need support securing their next job – this is helped in part with a partnership with career counselling organisation Renovo.
The charity says: ‘Anyone can experience physical illness or disabilities affecting their ability to work or manage at home. We provides occupational health assessments which help with adaptations to continue with life.’
