Alex says:
In March of 2020 I made a phone call. ‘Lock down’ and ‘furlough’ were not what I had signed up for when I took on the job of Director at OpenStoryTellers just a couple of months before. Our wonderful former chair, Tracy Rose needed to urgently step down and look after her own family and I was facing a new job, in a new organisation, that was not allowed to open – when it felt like the world was on fire.
The person I called was Sarah Talbot-Williams. We had known each other years before when we worked at Royal Mencap in London and then our paths had briefly crossed both serving on the board of trustees at DHI in Bath. I remembered her as a person who knew governance and HR inside and out, an unflappable person with a wicked streak of humour running through her like a stick of rock. The fact that she said yes to my slightly desperate and plaintive request tells you pretty much everything you need to know about her and her commitment to the charity and voluntary sector.
In the 4 years since she has shepherded OpenStoryTellers and supported me with kindness, rigour and a wealth of experience that will be sorely missed. Our governance structures and processes are significantly improved, our finances are thankfully much stronger, and our board has transformed. Sarah has been the quiet driving force, cheerleader squad and voice of reason behind so much of our success that it is hard to imagine what it will feel like without her.
Joe says:
Me, Ellie and Clemma are deeply saddened by the news that Sarah is leaving the chair of the trustees at Openstorytellers. We are seriously grateful by her understanding and kindness of joining us at a such a difficult time in 2020. We are all very excited to say hello to the new chair and continue the journey to be more inclusive with the governance here at Openstorytellers.
We look forward to being able to say our goodbyes when we see her in person in January and I am very excited about our new chair
