Engagement team member volunteer roles

Do you value supporting adults of all abilities with opportunities to grow in confidence, skills, and connection?

Millennium Farm Trust use the care farm environment to nurture both people and land.

If you have the ability to engage, inspire and lead in strategic decision-making – we could use your expertise as the new Chair of their Board of Trustees!

Who are the Millennium Farm Trust?

Millennium Farm Trust is the charity behind Depden Care Farm. It is a well-established, mission-led charity providing learning, training, and wellbeing opportunities through farming. For over a decade, we’ve supported people of all abilities to grow in confidence, skills, and connection — using the care farm environment to nurture both people and land. Based at Depden Care Farm in rural Suffolk, our programmes combine purposeful agricultural and horticultural work with personalised support.

At the heart of what we do

MFT’s vision: Everyone, whatever their ability, has access to meaningful work that builds self-esteem, self-confidence and self-care and has a place where their contribution to their community is valued and respected.

Our values: that by growing together we will foster a community at Depden Care Farm that promotes transformation, accountability, and integrity. A community which is built on: Respect, Wellbeing, Teamwork, Learning & Compassion.

So what does the role of Chair at Millennium Farm Trust look like?

This really is an exciting time to lead our charity’s Board and use your governance skills to make an impact on our organisation!

As the Chair of Trustees at MFT, you’ll lead our board in providing strategic direction and governance for our organisation, along with ensuring effective performance management. As well as chairing or board and relevant subcommittee meetings, you’ll act as an external ambassador and public face of our charity alongside the director.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

Everyone in our organisation shares responsibility for maintaining the highest standards of care, professionalism, and accountability. We are equally committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome and celebrate difference, recognising that varied perspectives and experiences strengthen our community and enrich the lives of those we support.

Who we’re looking for

Having strategic management experience, ideally in the voluntary or social care sector, along with a strong understanding of governance will be most beneficial as our new Chair. We need someone who encourages our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and representing the interests of the community served. You’ll also have the capacity to manage change and support the organisation through a period of transition, as well as the ability to inspire, engage, and draw out the skills of our board members.

Please read the candidate information pack for further information before you apply. Don’t think you quite meet all of the specifications? Please don’t count yourself out – we’d still love to hear from you and learn more about you and your interest in joining the Millenium Farm Trust!

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential. If you have a disability or require reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, please contact us so we can support you appropriately.

Eastside People is supporting Millennium Farm Trust in the recruitment of this role. Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter, both in Word doc format.
Please use the cover letter (max 2 pages) as an opportunity to add to the information you have shared in your CV and ensure that you cover the following:

• Why are you interested in the Chair role at Millennium Farm Trust?
• Having read the information pack, what relevant experience and skills do you feel you would bring to this role? This might come from paid work, study, community or voluntary work or other experience.

The closing date for applications is Mon 15th December. Shortlisting interviews with our recruitment partner Eastside People will take place shortly after, and shortlisted candidates will an interview with MFT during the week beginning first two weeks of January 2026.

Help shape a fair, bold solution to the climate crisis. Work with us to turn carbon reduction into real community action.

Our vision is for a world in control of CO2 emissions - a fair social and economic approach that motivates and supports people and organisations to reduce their carbon footprints. 

Our ultimate mission is to persuade people, business and government that together, we can take meaningful action using our Carbon Accounts framework. We are already demonstrating how this would work on the ground in local community action groups. We believe this will inspire governments to introduce the same mechanism to reach science-based emission reduction targets on a national basis. 

What will you be doing?

We are a small, new charity with massive scope to make a difference in shifting the narrative on climate change where other organisations have failed. We are currently almost completely volunteer-led, with the exception of a freelance fundraiser. We would like to build up our trustee board and include trustees who are keen to drive us forward through their active involvement.

Our goal for the next 12 months is:

·    to continue building our local group of activists who watch their carbon and ecological footprints 

·    to create a carbon labelling campaign, a carbon trading group, a carbon footprint and Carbon Accounts app

·    to foster recognition from local businesses and government

·    to create a blueprint which can be adopted in other locations

We want to spread the movement far and wide, to promote public, business, academic and political acceptance of carbon budgets, carbon trading and our Carbon Accounts approach by demonstrating how and why it works, and running communications and fundraising campaigns.

There are many practical activities you could also help with beyond trustee responsibilities, not in any order, for example workshop facilitation, managing volunteers, fundraising, carbon emissions data and spreadsheets, writing or journalism on sustainability, social media, photography or videography.... Skills and experience in any will be helpful.
What are we looking for?

We’re looking for someone to jump right in with our small and dynamic team to provide guidance, energy and insight to help us develop. We’re looking for someone who has some experience with: 

·    charity governance

·    policy creation and management

·    strategy development combining marketing, fundraising, volunteer management and finance & business planning

·    you’ll need an awareness of the serious nature of the crisis and the need for radical action by governments, i.e. a strong desire to see society make an urgent response to climate change

·    ability to work online, in person, in different environments with different types of people

·    consistency and good communication

·    co-operation, exchange of ideas, flexibility

·    ability to put ideas across clearly while seeking first to understand others

·    free on Monday evenings for our in-person meetings (not mandatory)

Duration

Our trustee positions run for 3 years after which the person may seek re-election

Location

We are keen on everyone being local, coming to in-person meetings and leveraging their local knowledge and connections, to keep group dynamics strong and foster motivation and commitment. We cover the London boroughs of Hackney, Islington, Camden, Haringey and Westminster.

Do you value supporting adults of all abilities with opportunities to grow in confidence, skills, and connection?

Millennium Farm Trust use the care farm environment to nurture both people and land. If you also have experience in strategic thinking – you could make a great addition to our Board as a Trustee!

Who are the Millennium Farm Trust?

Millennium Farm Trust is the charity behind Depden Care Farm. It is a well-established, mission-led charity providing learning, training, and wellbeing opportunities through farming. For over a decade, we’ve supported people of all abilities to grow in confidence, skills, and connection — using the care farm environment to nurture both people and land. Based at Depden Care Farm in rural Suffolk, our programmes combine purposeful agricultural and horticultural work with personalised support.

At the heart of what we do

MFT’s vision: Everyone, whatever their ability, has access to meaningful work that builds self-esteem, self-confidence and self-care and has a place where their contribution to their community is valued and respected.

Our values: that by growing together we will foster a community at Depden Care Farm that promotes transformation, accountability, and integrity. A community which is built on: Respect, Wellbeing, Teamwork, Learning & Compassion.

So what does the Trustee role at Millennium Farm Trust look like?

This really is an exciting time to join us and contribute to our charity’s Board and use your professional skills to make an impact on our collaborative discussions!

As a trustee at MFT, you’ll support us in tasks such as; reviewing and advising on organisational policies, business plans, along with helping to promote our work and impact within the community. As well as attending quarterly board meetings, you’ll also participate in one or more subcommittees, providing oversight and input on specific areas such as finance, HR, safeguarding, or education.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

Everyone in our organisation shares responsibility for maintaining the highest standards of care, professionalism, and accountability. We are equally committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome and celebrate difference, recognising that varied perspectives and experiences strengthen our community and enrich the lives of those we support.

Who we’re looking for

You’ll need to be able to challenge constructively, engage collaboratively, and have demonstrable strategic thinking and business acumen, with experience in governance or management. We also need someone who encourages our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and representing the interests of the community served, along with an interest in; the voluntary sector, social care, education, or related fields being desirable.

Please read the candidate information pack for further information before you apply. Don’t think you quite meet all of the specifications? Please don’t count yourself out – we’d still love to hear from you and learn more about you and your interest in joining the Millenium Farm Trust!

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential. If you have a disability or require reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, please contact us so we can support you appropriately.

Eastside People is supporting Millennium Farm Trust in the recruitment of these roles. Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter, both in Word doc format.
Please use the cover letter (max 2 pages) as an opportunity to add to the information you have shared in your CV and ensure that you cover the following:

• Why are you interested in the Trustee role at Millenium Farm Trust?
• Having read the information pack, what relevant experience and skills do you feel you would bring to this role? This might come from paid work, study, community or voluntary work or other experience.

The closing date for applications is Mon 15th December. Shortlisting interviews with our recruitment partner Eastside People will take place shortly after, and shortlisted candidates will an interview with MFT during the first two weeks of January 2026.