Meet our trustees: Adrian Kirk
Adrian was inspired to become a Trustee for South Yorkshire's Community Foundation (SYCF) after learning about the impact of Community Foundations at a networking event.
Barnsley-born, Adrian served in the Royal Navy for nearly three decades before moving to Care after Combat.
What started as a Volunteer Mentor role led to him becoming Chief Executive. After four years of success at the helm, Adrian made the decision to step down to undertake new challenges. He remains an Ambassador for Care after Combat and an active fundraiser.
He lives in Kimberworth with his wife, Teri, where they are developing a farmstead-based business.
Tell us about your career?
Adrian Kirk
I served in the Royal Navy for 29 years. After leaving the military, I wanted to ‘give something back’ and became a Volunteer Mentor with Care after Combat, supporting Armed Forces veterans in the justice system.
One thing led to another, and I became Chief Executive in January 2021. Having led the charity from a position of existential threat, via significant change and growth activity, to a position of greater stability and resilience and vastly increased income and reach, I decided the time was right to step down as CEO in March of 2025. This has allowed me to take up new challenges including setting up my own farmstead-based business in Kimberworth and undertake a part-time PhD.
When did you become a trustee at SYCF and what inspired you to join the Foundation?
I joined the Foundation in 2025 after learning about the impact of Community Foundations at a networking event.
Across the UK, and here in South Yorkshire, they play such a vital role in supporting local communities by directing charitable funds to causes which address the needs of a specific geographic area or group of people.
SYCF is uniquely positioned to understand local issues because we are deeply embedded in the areas we serve. This allows us to respond to specific challenges such as crime and safety, poverty, environmental sustainability, and education.
I attend the quarterly Trustee Meetings as a member of the whole board and I also sit on the bi-annual Grants and Policy Committee (GPC) which is one of the sub-committees. The GPC is a good fit for me given my experience in running a charity and having applied for many grants myself! I have sat on both the Rotherham and Barnsley grants panels to gain experience of the process. I have so far also supported other SYCF events such as the Vital Signs launch and South Yorkshire's Giving Network event at HMP Hatfield.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your role as a trustee?
Knowing that the grants awarded by SYCF help many smaller charities and organisations continue their essential community-focused work in the region is hugely rewarding. I have seen first-hand how critical the support from smaller organisations is to the most vulnerable members of our community; it is no understatement to say that these groups are very often the ones saving lives as they have the local knowledge and can respond quickly to crises.
What is your favourite thing about South Yorkshire?
Being a Barsnley lad, I am bound to be somewhat biased, but having travelled extensively with my career in the Royal Navy, both nationally and internationally, I can say with certainty that you will find in South Yorkshire the friendliest and most genuine people who engender a real sense of community spirit. My wife is from Cornwall and she loves South Yorkshire for that reason.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to be physically active so walking our two dogs up big hills is a passion, along with cycling in the summer and snow sports in the winter. And now that I am home-based, I intend to pick up my very dusty guitar once again!