Pick of the Month - October 2026

Written by Lucy Grehan-Bradley, Cause4 Programme Marketing Manager

Welcome to October's Pick of the Month! We’re excited to feature individuals who are making a real impact in the charity world. From creative social innovators to tireless charity leaders, their work is all about driving change and improving lives. We’ll take a closer look at their unique paths, the challenges they’ve navigated, and the incredible contributions they’re making to communities across the UK. Come and join us in celebrating their inspiring efforts! 

Trustee of the Month - Kieran Barry, Young Trustees Movement

The Young Trustees Movement (YTM) brings together current and aspiring young trustees, employers, and allies to increase the representation of trustees aged 30 and under on charity boards, enhancing the quality of their experience.

We spoke to Kieran Barry, one of YTM's trustees.

Kieran told us a little bit about what his mission is:  

"Currently, just 1% of charity trustees are 30 and under. Many young people continue to be overlooked as high-value trustees because their age is associated with a lack of experience. At the Movement, we aim to challenge that: shifting power around the Board table, advocating for a diversity of perspectives and the resulting value that comes with recruiting diverse trustees, and collaborating with others to increase and champion diversity across the sector."

We asked Kieran how he got to where he is today and what his role involves:  

"I’ve been volunteering since I was in university, including in society executive positions and an SU role, before using my work experience in finance in a role as a charity Treasurer. My day job involves reviewing the corporate governance of listed companies, so it was useful both for my work and my Board role to grow in my knowledge of what good governance looks like.

My role at the YTM combines work on governance and strategy with supporting others on the Board with areas such as understanding the state of the finances, and the financial implications of decisions. It is a role I love doing – focusing on how we maximise our impact and minimise the risks that we face to ensure our ongoing sustainability."

Finally, Kieran shared some advice for aspiring trustees: 

Really believe in what your charity does. Trusteeship can be challenging, but is so rewarding. When things feel tough, remember why you’re doing it.

Don’t be put off by a perceived lack of experience. Being confident enough to ask the difficult questions, lending your perspective, and having the conviction to ensure that you’re doing what is in the best interests of the charity are some of the foundations of a truly great trustee.

Don’t be afraid to spend time on your learning and development. You aren’t expected to know everything the moment you step foot on a Board. Learn from others, find mentors, and attend as much training as you need to feel comfortable and confident in your role.

At YTM, we offer a range opportunities to support current and aspiring young trustees, including:

Recruiting trustees ourselves (closing on 7th October)

On 14th November, we are bringing together current and aspiring young trustees for a day of connection and learning

We have opened for registrations of interest for Board Boost, our programme focused on supporting young trustees on Boards, starting February 2027

Not to forget our regular Community Café and monthly Champions Training!"

Read more about the work at Young Trustees Movement.

Charity Leader of the Month - Rachael Williams, CEO at Streetwise Opera 

Streetwise Opera enables people who've experienced homelessness to find inspiration and empowerment while they rebuild their lives and identities.

We spoke to Rachael Williams, CEO at Streetwise Opera.

Rachael told us a little bit about what her mission is:

"It’s a huge privilege to be the CEO of Streetwise Opera, an opera company that makes work with people who’ve experienced homelessness in London, Nottingham and Manchester. Our mission is enable our participants to find inspiration and empowerment whilst they rebuild their lives and identities. We do that through collaborations with world-class artists and ensembles, skills development programmes, and projects in frontline homelessness settings such as hostels or day centres that bring opera to people who may have assumed that it’s not for them. We also seek to change public perceptions of both homelessness and opera, showing the world that opera can be for anyone, and that people who’ve experienced homelessness are capable of achieving extraordinary things."

We asked Rachael how she got to where she is today and what her role involves:  

"The arts have always been my passion – from early on, I was an avid reader, played various musical instruments (to varying standards!) and loved getting involved in school and university theatre productions. In my early twenties, I applied for literally any entry level arts job I could find, and after many many rejections, landed a role as Development Assistant in the fundraising team at English National Opera. Whilst I didn’t specifically want to be a fundraiser, that job taught me so much about raising money and was hugely useful in subsequent jobs as Assistant Producer and then Producer at the Gate Theatre, Notting Hill (where I looked after our donors) and in every leadership job I’ve ever done. As CEO at Streetwise, I have overall responsibility for the whole organisation; I work really close with our Artistic Director to set the strategy and shape our artistic plans, have a key role in fundraising, make sure our finances are on track and work with our brilliant Chair of the Board to ensure our governance is robust."

Rachael shared some advice for aspiring leaders: 

"Milk every bit of experience that you can from the job that you’ve got right now. It’s great to have your sights on the kind of leadership roles that you’d like to do in the future, but don’t overlook the experience you could gain that’s right in front of you. If you have high standards for yourself and your work, the people around you will notice and will likely be open to helping you develop, whether that’s by taking on more responsibilities that will widen your skill set, or by shadowing other colleagues so you can learn more about the kind of jobs you might want to do later in your career."

Finally, Rachael discussed what she's passionate about seeing change in the sector:  

"The perception that the route to success is to work yourself to the bone. I know that for me to do my best work, I need boundaries – time away from my job to be with my family and friends, pursue a hobby, or, frankly, just have a rest. Leaders have a significant role to play in this by modelling this behaviour, as well as setting up environments where overwork is an issue to be solved, not a trait to be encouraged."

Read more about the work at Streetwise Opera.

Social Entrepreneur of the Month - Michael Fox, Founder of Open Doors Somerset

Open Doors is a community hub in the heart of Crewkerne. Each month, the charity give away around 1.5 tonnes of surplus food donated by supermarkets, with nearly 470 visits.

We spoke to Michael Fox, Founder of Open Doors Somerset. 

Michael told us a little bit about what his vision is and what his role involves:

"Each week we use some of the food to make a free healthy meal. We run a Chat Cafe supported by a qualified counsellor, a Repair Hub where volunteers fix household items, and we also host a wide range of arts and crafts workshops which have sustainability at their heart - eg visible mending, making a scourer, and composting. We continue to expand our activities, and aim to make the hub self-supporting rather than relying on grant funding. We took a long and winding road before we had our own space.

Open Doors started at the height of Covid, when my wife Kate Rew and I started giving away food supermarkets couldn’t sell. We quickly attracted dedicated volunteers. One of them, Kirsteen Catherwood, led the drive to get our own space (at first in a council building), and to set up a Repair Hub. 

We also recruited a fundraiser: Jess Wright has made an amazing difference, using her experience of setting up a community hub in Bristol to guide us. Last year we joined forces with three other local organisations in a successful joint bid to the National Lottery - we each now have a full-time co-ordinator (ours is a job-share), so we can open three days a week. I now mostly work behind the scenes to keep our organisation going."

Michael shared some advice for aspiring leaders: 

"I never expected to set up a community hub when we started in 2020; at each step I found myself looking at the challenges, and realising that it was more interesting to continue forward, with support from the community, rather than letting things fade away. So I would urge anyone to believe in the possibility of change, face the challenges, and find a way to succeed."

Finally, Michael discussed what he's passionate about seeing change in the sector: 

"I passionately believe we can do much more for local children and young people. It is a scandal that we lost our youth centre, and current provision is a shadow of what we had."

Read more about the work at Open Doors Somerset.

Fellow of the Month - Ed Cox, Head of Communications and Development at Without Walls

Without Walls is a partnership network of festivals and cultural organisations that commission and deliver extraordinary outdoor arts within communities across the country. It exists to innovate artistic approach, collaborative working and inclusive practice for artists, producers, and presenting partners, collectively enabling the outdoor arts sector to operate as a global leader in the industry. 

We spoke to Ed, Head of Communications and Development at Without Walls, about his role and his experience so far as a fellow.  

As Head of Communications and Development, Ed is currently working with the team and partners across a range of initiatives to support income generation. Alongside this, Ed is collaborating with the extended network to develop the programme and five year plan for 2027 and beyond. 

Given the context of the UK right now, we asked Ed what the key opportunities for his organisation are:  

"In the challenging times we face, a key opportunity is to listen, adapt, and respond to change, while remaining focused on ensuring artists are supported to create extraordinary new outdoor work. We will continue to bring our collective expertise to build resilience for the sector and open future pathways for emerging and established creatives."

We asked Ed what he is most looking forward to as part of the Fellowship Programme:  

"Learning from those leading and participating in the programme, expanding my practice and strengthening our fundraising efforts across the network."

Finally, Ed discussed what he's passionate about seeing change in the sector:  

"Innovation in partnerships between arts organisations and the commercial sector. Not just financially, but to leverage opportunities across skills development, access and creative exchange. We are seeing an ever-increasing gap between resources, capacity, and funding - we need to do more to explore these alternative ways of working and I look forward to playing a part in making it happen."

Read more about the work at Without Walls.