Farewell to Karen Bonner MBE as a Helpforce trustee: A Champion of Transformative Volunteering

Karen has brought over 30 years of nursing experience to Helpforce, including her current role as Regional Chief Nurse for London. Her expertise in healthcare improvement and her profound understanding of how services can better support patients, families and communities has shaped our approach to demonstrating the measurable impact of volunteering.

A personal connection to volunteering

What has made Karen's contribution particularly special is her personal connection to the cause. Having been a volunteer and campaigner with Prostate Cancer UK for over a decade following her father's death in 2010, she understands from lived experience what we work to achieve: volunteering that makes a transformative difference to those who receive and deliver healthcare services.

Her approach has always been focused not only on patients, but on their families and communities - exactly the holistic perspective that makes purpose-driven volunteering initiatives effective. Working alongside Karen, we've been inspired by the way in which she consistently encourages other healthcare leaders to integrate volunteering within organisational infrastructure - including through public speaking and thought-leadership articles in specialist healthcare media.

A Champion for Health Equity

Karen has also used her role as a Helpforce trustee and her wider platform to champion greater health equity, consistently reminding us that innovation only matters if it reaches the people who need it most. She has been a passionate advocate for improving outcomes in underserved communities, chairing initiatives to improve prostate cancer information for Black communities and serving as a member of the Black Men's Health Advisory Group. Her commitment to ensuring everyone has access to high-quality care has been an enduring influence on Helpforce's work.

Karen’s contributions to nursing and health equity have been recognised nationally. In 2022 she was named a ‘Burdett Hero’ a prestigious award given by The Burdett Trust for Nursing to nursing professionals in recognition for their work in healthcare. In June 2024, she was awarded an MBE in recognition of her contribution to nursing, and since 2021 the Health Service Journal has celebrated her as one of the 50 most influential Black, Asian, and minority ethnic leaders in health. She is a Fellow of the Queens Nursing Institute for Community Nursing and a member of the Strategic Advisory Council at the King’s Fund.

Amerjit Chohan, Helpforce’s CEO, said: “We've been incredibly fortunate to have Karen's wisdom, experience, and commitment as a guiding force. Her deep healthcare expertise, combined with her personal understanding of volunteering's power, has been invaluable as we have worked to deliver volunteering solutions that create measurable benefits for patients, professionals, and communities.

"We will miss Karen greatly as she steps down from her trustee role, but we know she will continue to be a passionate supporter of Helpforce."

During Karen's time on Helpforce’s Board, the organisation has grown into the UK's leading charity dedicated to advancing high-impact healthcare volunteering. The charity now works with more than 100 healthcare organisations across hospitals, hospices, and neighbourhood health settings, helping to demonstrate how well-supported volunteers can improve patient experience, strengthen the NHS workforce, and support healthier communities.

Throughout this period, Helpforce has pioneered innovative programmes such as Volunteer to Career, helped shape national policy on the future of healthcare volunteering, and built one of the strongest evidence bases in the sector, ensuring volunteering is increasingly recognised as a strategic asset rather than simply an act of goodwill.

Jayne Blacklay, Chair of Helpforce, said: "Karen has been an exceptional trustee and colleague. Throughout half a decade on our Board, she has combined strategic insight with thoughtful challenge, helping to ensure Helpforce has remained ambitious while staying true to its purpose. She has never been afraid to ask the difficult questions or champion the voices of patients, volunteers, and frontline staff in our decision-making. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Karen for her outstanding service and wish her every success for the future."