Trustees Week 2026 – Jude at Walk N Talk 4 Mental Health

For Trustees’ Week, we’re celebrating the people who give their time and experience to help charities make a difference in their communities. Trustees play an important role in guiding organisations, making decisions and helping them plan for the future.

For Jude Price, founder of Walk N Talk 4 Mental Health, having a supportive board of trustees is an important part of making sure the charity can continue to grow and reach more people.

The Hampshire-based charity brings people together through free, friendly walks, creating opportunities to talk, listen and connect. Each walk is led by someone trained in mental health first aid, helping to provide a welcoming space where people can feel comfortable talking about mental health, whatever their circumstances.

A simple idea with an important purpose

The idea for Walk N Talk 4 Mental Health came about during the pandemic, when Jude was going through a difficult time herself and found that walking and talking to other people helped.

She began having conversations with others who were facing their own challenges and soon realised how much people could benefit from getting together and sharing their experiences.

“By helping other people, you help yourself,” she says. “It was just really good to talk to other people.”

Jude had previously been delivering mental health first aid training, but this had to stop when face-to-face sessions were put on hold during lockdown. She wanted to find another way to support people and fill a gap in the community.

What started with one-to-one conversations gradually developed into group walks as restrictions lifted. In 2021, the charity began advertising meeting points and organising regular walks, with people keen to get involved. It went on to gain charitable status in 2022.

Today, its mission is to normalise conversations about mental health and challenge the stigma that can still surround it. The walks aren’t just for people experiencing poor mental health. They’re also an opportunity for people to maintain their wellbeing, learn more about mental health and support others.

As Jude explains, the aim is to create a space where people feel able to talk without judgement, whether they’re facing challenges themselves, caring for someone else or want to understand more.

Finding the right support

Jude is the charity’s founder and CEO, but works closely with the board of trustees to shape its direction and plans for the future.

When Walk N Talk first became a charity, the priority was getting things up and running. Like many people starting a small organisation, Jude and the others involved were learning as they went along.

“When we first started, we needed three trustees, but we didn’t know the extent of what the role of a trustee entailed and how to run a charity.”

Over time, the charity has developed a better understanding of the governance, legal responsibilities and processes involved in running a charity. It now has four trustees, each bringing different experience and skills.

Jonathan is the chair and takes the lead on organising meetings and business planning, helping the charity think about its overall structure and where it wants to go. Tom brings experience in cyber security and business, while Steve has spent 25 years working in the NHS across management and nursing roles. He also oversees safeguarding.

Their different backgrounds give the charity access to knowledge that might otherwise be difficult for a small organisation to find. Steve’s understanding of the clinical world, for example, has helped Jude build connections with health services and explore opportunities to work more closely with the NHS and the voluntary sector.

Safeguarding is another area where the trustees have been able to make a difference. The charity already had a policy in place, but a recent incident prompted a closer look at whether its arrangements were as effective as they needed to be. Having a trustee take responsibility for this has helped ensure it gets the attention it deserves.

Sharing the responsibility

Jude says the board is now becoming more involved in the charity’s development, with better communication and a clearer structure for working together.

Jude describes herself as an ideas person, often coming up with new projects and opportunities. Having trustees who can bring a different perspective, ask questions and help turn those ideas into practical plans is valuable.

“I’m creative and often go off on tangents, having all these amazing ideas! So I do need trustees like that to keep me in check.”

As the charity grows, it’s also recognising where it needs additional expertise. One of its current priorities is finding a trustee with an accountancy background.

The new trustee would help strengthen financial oversight and work alongside the charity’s fundraising manager, making sure the right knowledge and support are in place as it moves forward.

Looking to the future

Walk N Talk 4 Mental Health is keen to build on the walks it already runs, bringing more people along and recruiting additional volunteer walk leaders. Having more leaders would give the existing team greater flexibility, while creating the capacity to consider expanding into other areas.

The charity is also looking to work more closely with GPs, social prescribers and other community organisations so that more people can find out about the support available.

For Jude, having the right trustees alongside her will be an important part of making those plans happen.

Community First has supported Walk N Talk to advertise its trustee vacancies through Volunteer First. Jude also has regular contact with Jo Proctor, our Community Engagement Coordinator in Eastleigh.

“I communicate quite a bit with Jo. Anything that I’ve asked, she’s always given advice or found me the information I need.”

Jo said: “Walk N Talk is such a simple but brilliantly effective idea.  I’ve joined a few of their Eastleigh walks to get to know the charity, catch up with Jude and see them in action.  The walk leaders are very welcoming and people are free to talk as much or as little as they feel they want to.  Supporting these local initiatives and seeing the positive impact they have on the residents they’re helping is so rewarding – I really encourage anyone thinking of volunteering, to consider joining Walk N Talk.”

Could you become a trustee?

Walk N Talk 4 Mental Health is looking for an accountant to join its board and help guide the charity as it continues to develop.

If you have financial experience and would like to use your skills to support a local charity, this could be an opportunity to make a difference.

You can find opportunities at Walk N Talk 4 Mental Health and many other organisations on our Volunteer First platform here.