Looking back: Festival of Trusteeship 2025

As part of Trustees’ Week, which took place earlier this month, we were proud sponsors of the Festival of Trusteeship, an exciting week-long series of online events including webinars, workshops, and panel discussions aimed at aspiring and experienced charity trustees and charity leaders, and focused on governance in charities, trustee recruitment, and inclusive leadership.

In support of the Festival, Stone King Consultant and experienced charity and social enterprise lawyer, Clive Vergnaud, contributed two blogs:

• ‘What are the steps for closing down a charity?’ – here, Clive outlines the key steps involved in formally closing down a charity, including an example of how a strategic merger can preserve charitable impact despite insolvency.
• ‘Signs that your charity might need to close’ – here, he shares the warning signals that could mean trustees face the difficult decision of charity closure.

In addition to these blogs from Clive, Stone King had the privilege of sponsoring four of the week’s webinars, three of which saw Stone King people join panels to share their expertise on different areas of charity governance:

Crisis? Sorted! A trustee’s toolkit for tough times

Our Head of Charity, Rosamund McCarthy Etherington, spoke on this panel of charity trustees sharing their experiences of handling crises in their roles.

This candid session was for trustees navigating difficulty and those who want to be better prepared for it.

The panellists spoke about the most common crises trustees face, how boards can respond effectively when things go wrong, what might help to avoid crisis in the first place, as well as experiences of their own: what worked, what didn’t, and what they wish they’d known.

How to close well: Tips for trustees navigating charity closure

This session featured Clive Vergnaud, who joined discussions around what to consider when winding down a charity, from legal duties to preserving legacy and supporting people.

They explored what trustees need to know when winding down a charity:

• What are the signs that your charity might need to close?
• Different options, including merger
• Legal and governance responsibilities
• Supporting staff, volunteers and stakeholders
• How to do justice to your charity’s story
• Legacy

Closing a charity is hard, both practically and emotionally, but it can be the right thing to do. Attendees heard honest reflections from those who’ve been through a charity closure, and left better equipped to handle the process.

How to not be a prat on a board

Hannah Kubie, Partner and Head of our Charity and Social Enterprise Team, took part in this silly-but-serious session which – through honest reflections, humour and practical advice – examined the serious side of poor board behaviour and how to avoid it.

Along with her fellow panellists, they covered talking over others, undermining colleagues, picking out typos in the board report – anything that can derail even the most well-meaning board.

Attendees left with new ways to spot (and stop) bad board behaviour – including their own.

Governance hacks: Easy wins for your board

Stone King also sponsored this practical session on the quick fixes and clever tweaks that can transform your board meetings, which was well-suited to small to medium-sized charities.

The speakers shared the little things that can transform meetings from dull to dynamic – from agenda hacks to better use of digital tools, and more.

The whole week was buzzing with activity and was a brilliant event to be part of. We received extremely positive feedback from Eastside People, the organisers of the Festival of Trusteeship, and those who attended the above sessions. Special thanks must go to Penny Wilson at Eastside People, and also to everyone involved for making the Festival so successful, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!