Ryan Goodenough

Headway Trustee Ryan Goodenough, 24, sustained a brain injury when he was assaulted at work three years ago.

To mark Trustees Week, Ryan talks about becoming a trustee and what he gets out of the role at Headway Milton Keynes.

How long have you been a trustee?

I have been a trustee since February 2019 – we were all signed official at that point. I was asked in August 2018 but the process took some time as the old board had to sign off.

What have you done during this time?

I have been looking into building connections with local business and large retailers in the hope that we can advertise through them. As a group we have focused on fundraising and have made some positive progress.

What attracted you to become a trustee?

The opportunity to do something important and also very different.

I did not know what a Trustee was until it was explained to me at the time of being asked.

What do you enjoy about it?

I enjoy the challenge and responsibility. It is a very important thing to be involved in and the opportunity to represent such a great charity that has helped myself and many others is truly an honour. A very humbling role. I am very thankful that those at Headway Milton Keynes considered me suitable for it

What is the most challenging thing about being a trustee?

For me the hardest thing is learning, because I have never done anything like it before. 

The beauty of being a trustee at Headway Milton Keynes is I have the charity's best interests at the forefront of my thought process, not because it is part of the role, but because I sincerely want the best for the place – so learning how to blend that into the role as a trustee has been challenging. Fun, but challenging.

What advice would you give others thinking of being a trustee? Why should they do it?

It is a very rewarding experience and I would always recommend at least trying it. Always be willing to communicate with and listen to others, and never be afraid to throw in an idea, now matter how outlandish you may feel it is – it may just work.

Become a trustee

If you would like to become a trustee of a Headway group, or would simply like to find out more information, please contact your local group directly. You can find details of all the Headway groups on our In your area webpage.