Trustees' Week 2026 - Reflections from Outgoing Chair Andrew Sloan

Our outgoing Chair, Andrew Sloan, reflects on 7 incredible years on the Board of George House Trust

Being a trustee of George House Trust has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I wouldn’t have said that when I first joined the board seven years ago.

 When I joined, the board needed to find its direction. Some of the decisions we made, did make things harder for the charity in the long run. It was a challenging time, and I was part of the board that had to face up to it. Then Covid arrived and brought new challenges.

I ended up stepping up as Deputy Chair and worked with the outgoing Chair, to recruit a new CEO. That appointment gave us a chance to change how we worked. We brought new skills onto the board, got clearer about which decisions belonged with trustees and which belonged with staff, and paid closer attention to our finances, our public reputation and the direction of the charity. Rebuilding trust meant listening to staff and to the people who relied on us, then following through on what we heard.

 I stepped into the role of Chair and began working closely with our new CEO. We got to know each other quickly because we had to. While the board grappled with what the pandemic meant for the charity, staff and volunteers were finding ways to keep supporting people through isolation and uncertainty. I’m still immensely proud of how they did that.

 As someone living with HIV, the most rewarding part of my time as a trustee has been seeing what that work means for people. I’ve seen people return to work after years out of employment and years of living with stigma. We’ve helped set up peer mentoring and navigation in clinics so that someone who has just received an HIV diagnosis can talk to someone who knows what that moment feels like and can show them what it’s possible to look forward to. We also began to ask how we could use what we’d learnt in Greater Manchester to challenge HIV stigma across the UK.

 Our community has changed over those seven years. People from different cultures and with different experiences of HIV are coming through our doors. Volunteers, donors and businesses have put their time and money behind us. We’ve transformed the Drag Ball and welcomed people who might never have come to a George House Trust event before. I’ve loved getting to know the people who make all of that happen.

 This Trustees’ Week, I’m grateful to my fellow trustees, our staff and volunteers, and especially to the people living with HIV who told us what they needed, including when it was hard for us to hear. My greatest joy is seeing the community we are today. People look out for one another, make room for someone new and stand together when they encounter stigma. It has been a privilege to be part of that.

 We're currently looking for a new Chair - find out more here: George House Trust is Recruiting for Our Next Chair of the Board