Ira Bhattacharya
Ira has been a trustee with Bucks Mind since April 2016 after meeting them at Community Impact Bucks’ Trustee Fair in January 2016.
“I had been a school governor for over 10 years which I had thoroughly enjoyed, but it was time for me to stand down and look for another challenge. I was already a trustee with Aylesbury Multi-Cultural Centre and the Indian Cultural Centre so knew what the role involved, but I didn’t know I wanted a third trusteeship until I went along to the Trustee Fair. I had gone along to accompany a friend but came away with 4 offers of trustee roles and decided to take up one with Bucks Mind.
“As a trustee I’m able to work with projects and organisations that I’m especially interested in; I can’t help directly as I’m not a trained mental health professional, but I can offer my skills and services in other ways. Everyone at Bucks Mind is passionate about what they do and we all want to make a difference.
Being a trustee is not like a job; it’s something I really want to do. We all pick up different skills from different settings and I’ve definitely gained new skills from my time as a trustee. Being a trustee is not a one-way process; we get as much out of it as the charity’s beneficiaries. It makes me really happy and gives such a sense of fulfilment when I can see the positive outcomes for the effort I make. I’d recommend being a trustee to anyone.”
