News

Sarah’s Experience as Trustee at Cherry Lodge Cancer Care

11th November 2026

Tell us a little about yourself

I am Sarah Armitage, and I am co-chair of the trustees.

We’re a small group of trustees: six of us currently. And  I have been a trustee for quite a long time… 20 years! So, I’m part of the furniture really!

We’re overseeing the charity, under the Charity Commission: with all the rules and regulations that go with that. We’re responsible for all the finances and all the policies within the building: well-being, health and safety – all those things. We are responsible for  supporting all the staff and the volunteers.

Of course, we are volunteers ourselves! So it’s quite a varied role. If you ask me how many hours I spend at Cherry Lodge, some weeks it could be six, seven hours, and other times it might be a couple of hours a week. It’s quite hands on – we are very involved in the charity!

What were your motivations when considering becoming a trustee?

People genuinely say it’s made a huge difference – and you just need to hear a few good stories and suddenly you think; yes, this is why I volunteer for Cherry Lodge! Lovely stories from people who  had a diagnosis, walked in, met our nurses and suddenly within a day are just feeling a huge weight lifted off their shoulders.

How did your skills fit the trustee position?

My background was teaching – so I have a loud voice! Then I worked nearly 20 years for the Citizens Advice Bureau – I became the Training Supervisor. So I have to say I’m a Jack of all Trades: HR skills, employment skills, fundraising. Katherine who’s my co-chair is more on the medical side and works with nurses, so we split the role and that works really well.

What advice would you give to organisations when looking to recruit a trustee?

Are there specific skills we need? At one point we were trying to recruit someone with skills specific to human resources and employment. Another area would be fundraising. We have a couple who specialise in the finances – so people do need specific roles.

Another aspect that is important is succession planning. So for example, we have a trustee who’s been doing all the finances and helps with the salaries and things like that. And then we have a new trustee who’s been with us 2 or 3 years, a retired accountant. And so he’s learning from her how the finances within the charity operate: at some point when she steps down, we have someone in place already, to take over all the charity finances.

Why are you proud to be a trustee?

Working  for a charity which I really feel is part of the community… Working with a lovely group of staff and trustees. It’s a very happy place, despite what we’re dealing with. We have about 150 members that we are at this moment in time, helping with aromatherapy, Reiki, acupuncture, massage, counselling.

Founder Margaret Clark set up the charity, so the legacy she leaves behind is very, very impressive. So, I mean, I think that’s something else that I am proud of. She stepped down as chairman after 27 years, at the end of 2023.

We work hard to have new initiatives. So at the moment we’re going to other areas of Barnet to introduce ourselves to people who perhaps might not approach us for care, within different cultures and communities.