Voluntary role, c. 0.5 day per week
Meetings held in Macclesfield
The Silk Heritage Trust celebrates and shares the extraordinary story of Macclesfield; a story of creativity, industry, and enterprise. After a period of focused work, we are in healthy and optimistic position, with a clear strategic plan and the resources we need to achieve an ambitious step-change in the coming years. Support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund mean that we’re able to look forward to a transformed future at the heart not only of the North West’s industrial heritage, but also the wider international patrimony of textile design and manufacture.
With a new lease in place on Paradise Mill, and a significant opportunity to restore and commercialise the looms and pattern books we hold, we are preparing to make a once-in-a-generation investment in the future. Our goal is to create a unique, integrated visitor experience, with the breathtakingly atmospheric Paradise Mill complementing the wider story of Macclesfield’s heritage and people, as told in the neighbouring Silk Museum. The Old Sunday School building, one of our town’s landmark buildings, will be sensitively transformed so that it will continue to be a popular and much-loved community hub.
We are looking for an energetic individual who can act as a figurehead for the Trust, help strengthen and develop our networks, develop our landmark buildings and gain support for our vision. Our new Chair will bring skills and experience as a strategic leader, community and sustainability champion and entrepreneur. If you share our passion for the regenerative power of heritage and culture, and can help drive our vision, then we look forward to hearing from you.
Expressions of interest should be received by 19 July 2025.
Interviews are expected to be held in Macclesfield between 21 - 28 July 2025.
Registered Charity 
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This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
The Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) was set up in June 2005 in memory of legendary campaigner, Sheila McKechnie.Campaigning is vital to a healthy society. We help campaigners to thrive. In a free and hopeful society, people need to know they have the power to make a difference: that they are able to envisage change and can push for that change to happen. For nearly two decades, we have helped all sorts of individuals, causes and charities to find their power as changemakers – as campaigners. We support, connect and champion these campaigners, equipping them to go after the social change they seek.
The Chair will hold the Board and staff team to account for SMK’s mission and vision, provide inclusive leadership to the Board and ensure that Board members fulfil their duties and responsibilities for the effective governance of SMK. The Chair will line manage and support the Chief Executive and ensure that the Board functions as a unit and works closely with the Chief Executive and staff team to achieve agreed objectives. They may also be asked to act as an ambassador and a public face of SMK in partnership with the Chief Executive and the Board.
For further information, see our website and the recruitment pack.
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Thank you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
About Us
For three decades, Forward Arts Foundation (‘Forward’) has been at the forefront of new poetry and now reaches an estimated 131 million people each year. We are a national charity working across the UK and online to widen poetry’s audience, honour achievement and support diverse talent. Through our two flagship programmes, Forward Prizes for Poetry and National Poetry Day, we work towards a better society where individuals and communities can develop their innate creativity, their agency and their understanding through the making and sharing of poetry.
Leadership and Management
Forward is led by its board of eight Trustees, chaired by Jamie Andrews. Jamie is Director of Public Engagement at the British Library and brings extensive experience as a trustee of several charities, including Oxford House. Other trustees are Forward’s founder William Sieghart CBE, responsible for the 2013 Sieghart Report on libraries and e-books; Kim Evans, former senior executive at BBC and Arts Council; Aoife O’Connor, poet and producer; Amelia Richards, culture and communications leader; treasurer and CFO Latinka Pilipovic; marketing manager Maya Ophelia and data scientist Mary Amanuel.
The organisation is led by Mónica Parle and Lucy Macnab, Co-Executive Directors. Both have experience as directors of writing organisations (First Story and Ministry of Stories). Mónica is an award winning writer and Lucy brings national policy and strategy design experience from Arts Council England. With joint accountability, they each work 0.5FTE. The team also includes Jay Bhadricha, Head of Programmes, and Annalise Peters, Finance and Operations Coordinator.
The team is supported by freelance specialists in education, communications, finance and fundraising.
We believe poetry is for everyone. Our approach to recruiting trustees is shaped by a commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion. We particularly welcome applications for vacancies from D/deaf and disabled and black and minority ethnic candidates, as well as candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, as they are under-represented in the arts, and we commit to review our processes to ensure that our organisation more closely reflects the society it serves.
Chair Role
The Chair leads the board, ensuring that it governs the charity effectively, in service of the charity’s vision and mission. The Chair leads in an inclusive way, supporting the board to work together well, and providing support and challenge to the Chief Executive. The Chair is also an ambassador for the charity.
- Provide strategic leadership to the charity and the Board.
- Work in partnership with the Co-Executive Directors and Vice Chair.
- Lead the board in ensuring that it fulfils its responsibilities for the governance of the organisation.
- Plan and chair the board meetings with the Vice Chair and Co-Executive Directors.
- Act as a spokesperson and figurehead for Forward.
What we are looking for
- Experience of being a trustee. You do not need to have been a Chair before.
- A keen sense of strategic purpose.
- An inclusive leadership style: able to inspire and support everyone to participate on an equal footing.
- The ability to listen and engage effectively. You are comfortable with challenge and debate and are able to encourage that in others whilst fostering a collaborative board environment.
- Advocate - be able and willing to champion Forward’s work through personal networks, social media, and other channels.
- A strong personal commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Be responsive. At a small charity, things sometimes ‘come up’ that require the Chair to advise, support or give consent to. It is very helpful to have a Chair who is available and responsive.
Trustee roles
We are also looking for trustees with expertise in any of the below and a belief that your skills will contribute to the strong and effective governance and growth of a small charity. We are especially looking for experience and networks in:
- Fundraising or philanthropy
- Governance/institutional/policy leadership
- Digital/data/design
- Education
- We’re also interested in applications from those under 30 or those seeking their first trusteeship, and offer support and guidance from an experienced ‘buddy’ trustee.
- Ideally, applicants should show interest in or understanding of the literature/arts sector and/or literacy and education.
Responsibilities of all trustees
- Support and provide advice on Forward’s purpose, vision, goals and activities.
- Approve operational strategies and policies, and monitor and evaluate their implementation.
- Oversee Forward’s financial plans and budgets and monitor and evaluate progress.
- Ensure that key risks are being identified, monitored and controlled effectively.
- Provide support and challenge to Forward’s Co-Executive Directors
- Keep abreast of changes in Forward’s operating environment.
- Applying your skills, expertise, knowledge and contacts to promote Forward’s work.
Essential qualities and attributes of all trustees
- Willingness and ability to understand and accept their responsibilities and liabilities as trustees and to act in the best interests of the organisation.
- Ability to think creatively and strategically, exercise good, independent judgement and work effectively as a board member.
- Effective communication skills and willingness to participate actively in discussion.
- A strong personal commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Enthusiasm for our vision and mission.
- Willingness to lead according to our values of wonder, play and openness.
- Commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership
Terms and Commitment
Location: All board meetings may be attended online. We will try to meet face-to-face when we can. But trustees are welcome wherever they live.
We estimate you’ll need to commit around 30 hours over the course of a year. The board meets quarterly and we have a strategy day one afternoon a year. Trustees are appointed for a 3-year term, with a maximum of 2 terms.
Salary: Unpaid, travel expenses will be reimbursed if needed and where necessary.
Deadline for applications: 21 July
Interviews beginning w/c 28 July
To apply or find out more, contact Co-Executive Director Lucy Macnab explaining why you would like to be a trustee. If you are interested in being Chair, please make this clear. You may want to tell us what your previous experience is, and what knowledge and skills you have and what you would like to gain from the experience. Also someone we can talk to as a referee. We will accept applications in any medium.
For those applying for the chair role, you are welcome to have a call with Jamie Andrews, current chair, to find out more.
Forward Arts Foundation is a registered charity (charity number: 1037939) and a company limited by guarantee (company no: 02902864), registered in England and Wales.
This role is advertised as part of TPP's Free Giving Back Services. This volunteer advertisement copy has been supplied to TPP and applicants apply direct to the organisation. Please contact the organisation directly if you have any questions about this volunteer role.
