Governance has risen to the top of the charity sector’s agenda. The run of crises and negative headlines, led by the Kids Company closure and fundraising scandals in 2015, has put a spotlight on trustees’ responsibilities, and the gloomy prognosis is that the model is broken. The pessimists say we are starting to ask too much of volunteer trustees; that it is getting harder to recruit the next generation; and that trustees are increasingly worried about the risk of legal sanctions and damage to their reputations.

We need a sense of proportion. The vast majority of trustees are good people trying to do good things. The problems are exaggerated, but perhaps not the risks of neglecting good governance practice. I think there are reasons to be optimistic that we are coming out of a challenging period with refreshed commitment and renewed realism. But there is also a sense that we must now sort the red herrings from the real opportunities, and turn words into action.