Newsreader Jon Snow (pictured) and cricketer Andrew Flintoff are among the names lending their support to the first annual Trustees’ Week, designed to increase awareness of the role.

Taking place from 25 to 31 October, the campaign aims to celebrate the work of existing trustees and increase awareness and understanding of the role.

Other celebrities on board include journalists Eve Pollard and Martyn Lewis, model Natalia Vodianova and actresses Brooke Kinsella and Jenny Seagrove.

The campaign, which is being run by the Charity Commission in partnership with Charity Trustee Networks, NCVO, Reach Volunteering, Getting on Board and the ICAEW, says that almost half of charities have a vacancy on their trustee board.

Dame Suzi Leather, chair of the Charity Commission, said: “Many people have skills and experience that they could bring to being a charity trustee, but our research shows that often people do not know what the role entails.

“Talking to trustees I’m always struck by the thing they have in common – a desire to live a life beyond themselves.”

Jon Snow, who is trustee of five charities, said: “Trusteeship is mind-expanding, at times demanding, almost always rewarding, and constantly surprising. It has given me the opportunity to learn about the lives and issues of others, developing a perspective on elements of life I might never otherwise have encountered.

“Becoming a trustee can bring enormous personal fulfilment and may be of more value to others than you begin to know.”

More information is available at www.trusteesweek.org.uk.

Image courtesy of Steve Punter