A CHARITY worker from Salisbury was recently a guest at a glittering reception at London’s Mansion House.

Irene Kohler, chairman of SWAN Advocacy, was one of 300 guests invited alongside many London livery companies, businesses, and national and local charities.

The meeting was chaired by Alderman Fiona Woolf, the newly installed 686th Lord Mayor of the City of London, and her husband Nicholas.

The guest speaker was William Shawcross, chairman of the Charity Commission, who set out his vision for charity regulation, explaining how a strong regulator promotes public trust and allows charities to adapt to social change.

He also spoke of the need for a balance between regulation and support for charities.

The message to all was that recruitment of trustees, especially to larger charities, needs to be more transparent and boards should be diverse, including people from all sections of the community with the skills and experience to contribute to the charity.