What inspired us? In 2013 a charity in Oxfordshire ran into difficulty and faced closure. The charity sought advice from an independent experienced business leader who helped it to see and explore different options and come up with solutions that meant the charity survived. This inspired the birth of Charity Mentors Oxfordshire, which has gone on to establish an excellent reputation helping the Oxfordshire voluntary sector.
Charity Mentors Sussex was formed in 2016, adopting the same template and in 2020 Charity Mentors Kent and Medway, an independent charitable organisation was created. Our current Chair, Nick Marden led the initial set-up and operations of the charity which is run by Justin Byrd, our Charity Manager, who joined in 2023.
Later counties to follow the examples of these successful mentoring organisations are Berkshire and South Yorkshire.