Welcome back to our Step it Up Campaign, where our aim is to inspire others to become more active in charity work by sharing stories of social responsibility.

Meet Michele Todd

Michele is a partner at Partner at solicitors HLW Keeble Hawson.

What do you do for charities?
“I have just retired as trustee of Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity after 5 years service.  I was the Legal Trustee and advised on a lot of legal matters, particularly around legacies.  I am presently a trustee of a local charitable nursing home in Sheffield which is very rewarding and I may look for another position, perhaps with an animal charity – close to my heart.  I also head up my firm’s charity sector which includes offering cost effective contract reviews, training on governance and running or taking part in legacy campaigns.

How did this happen?
“I was asked to join Weston Park six months after I lost my mother to cancer.  It was perfect timing as I was struggling with her death and gave me a focus to try and help others in a similar situation. The nursing home position was a request by a client.  I work a lot with the elderly day to day and it was a prefect extension to this.

My interest in the third sector increased and that was why I was asked to head up the charity sector at work.  We have a dedicated team of lawyers now dealing with all aspects of charitable concerns from how to treat volunteers to charities as landlord or tenant.”

What have you gotten out of it?
“I have got a massive amount out of it.  I have met and worked with some wonderful people.  Real experts in all fields.  And I have learned a massive amount about how the NHS and local authority work with Weston Park and the care home.  Helping the elderly and the ill with volunteering has allowed me to help people at a much deeper level than I would otherwise have been able to do.”

Why is this a good fit for you?
“Working for charities dovetailed very well with my day to day areas of work.  On a personal level helping people with cancer really helped with the grieving process.  Although I couldn’t save my mum I could try and help others in a similar position.”

What’s your advice to anyone thinking of doing this?
“Make sure you know and understand that you can do what you will be asked to do and what you are prepared to give, in terms of time.  And if you are not sure what you can give, well ask, because charities need people to help with everything from running events, driving patients to appointments, working in charity shops, or even collecting in supermarkets!  Give it a go and you will not regret it, because you ARE making a difference and that matters.”