Why I Joined Simon on the Streets as a Trustee

By: Richard Michie

Homelessness is, unfortunately, not going away.

It’s a stark thought that anyone could be a few months away from finding themselves living on the streets, but all it takes is a few unfortunate events to make things snowball.

It’s a thought that really sticks with me, which is why when I launched The Marketing Optimist in 2016, I decided to support the amazing work Simon on the Streets does to support the homeless of Leeds and Bradford.

Over the years, we’ve taken part in lots of events to raise funds, including walking from Huddersfield to Leeds (that hurt a lot), taking part in their annual sleepout, and most recently, walking over hot coals!

The Marketing Optimist are also a corporate sponsor and member of their £500 for 5 programme.

Becoming a Simon on the Streets trustee

I’ve never been a trustee of anything before, and I don’t really join committees, so being appointed a trustee is a real honour and is sure to be a real eye-opener for me – and perhaps the rest of the trustees too!

I’ve known CEO Natalie Clark, and the team for a long time now, and I’m really excited to get more involved and support them to help even more people who desperately need their assistance.

Here’s a lovely quote from Natalie “I am delighted that Richard, after so many years as a fervent supporter of the Charity, has now joined the Board of Trustees. In addition to his passion for the charity, Richard brings with him a wealth of experience in the Marketing arena which can only help benefit the journey that Simon on the Streets has been on in this particular area. In my nearly 5 years with the charity Richard has been a regular at nearly every corporate social, fundraising event and challenge we have undertaken, and it’s such a pleasure to have him on the board of trustees.”

Can you help Simon on the Streets?

Simon on the Streets is an independent charity that doesn’t receive any funding from the Government or any other statutory body. Therefore, they really do need all the help and support they can get.

The charity runs a range of events each year, such as the Leeds Marathon and their annual sleepout. If you are looking for a charity of the year for your business, or you would like to donate long-term as a £500 for 5 partner, like we do, take a look at the Simon on the Streets website for more information and please get involved.

You may also like…

ChatGPT ads have arrived in the UK

ChatGPT ads have arrived in the UK

ChatGPT ads have arrived in the UK. It was inevitable really. With so much search volume now going through AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and a whole range of other services, ads were sure to appear sooner rather than later. Google’s own AI - Gemini...

What is Copywriting? – The Key to Marketing Success

What is Copywriting? – The Key to Marketing Success

If you’ve spent any time at all working in marketing, or learning about how to manage your organisation’s marketing yourself, you’ll be no stranger to the word “copywriting”. But what IS copywriting? What does a copywriter do? And what is copywriting used for? If...

A Guide to SEO for AI Search

A Guide to SEO for AI Search

Whether you’re sick of hearing about AI, or can’t get enough of the machine overlords, AI is now an undeniable element of SEO. Initially, when AI became a part of SEO, specialists like The Marketing Optimist, had to use our experience and intuition to navigate SEO for...

What to post on LinkedIn

What to post on LinkedIn

What to post on LinkedIn is a thought that fills people with dread. Most business owners know full well they should be posting on social media, but are scared to death of what to put. The vast majority of people and businesses on LinkedIn are lurkers who use the site...

A Guide to SEO Reporting

A Guide to SEO Reporting

In this guide to SEO reporting, we dive into the third critical stage of the holistic SEO process - the measurement of results. This is the third in our series of SEO guides, and we advise you explore the first two, The Importance of Keyword Research, and A Guide to...

A Guide to Content & Page Optimisation

A Guide to Content & Page Optimisation

Tackling search engine optimisation without a trusted partner can be a daunting prospect, with every element requiring its own unique set of processes and best practices in order to be effective within the larger holistic SEO process. We covered the start of the...