Trustee

The Role of our Charity

Our charity mission is to help overcome loneliness and isolation by providing sheltered housing that promotes independence, but where the individual can seek some support to live a healthy lifestyle.

We are a growing and developing Abbeyfield Society who provide excellent rental accommodation in 14 houses across the Wessex region. The aim is to attract older people who can live independently in co-housing and join in with two home cooked meals a day, which are shared with other residents.

The Trustee Role

All our trustees are volunteers who bring a wide range of expertise, knowledge and wisdom to the Board, however as we develop and grow to ensure we have a sustainable future for our residents and keep on top of governance and compliance, we are looking for two new positive trustees with a range of skills and aptitude towards finance or marketing or regulation in the social housing or community engagement and networking with other partners. We want to create a more diverse Board.

Time Commitment

The Board meet in person 4-5 times a year in the Wessex region with interim online meetings including the following subgroups:

Property

Finance

Community Engagement

Operations

To help trustees keep connected with those we serve, we encourage visits to the houses to meet the residents and staff so that quality is always first and foremost

Support and Development 

We will provide new trustees with information in an induction with the Chairman and other trustees to help their support and development. This will include:

Understanding the history of Abbeyfield and its core values and ethos

Our Strategy, Financial Plan and Business Plan

The importance of good governance

Safeguarding our residents

Reasonable expenses for travel to meetings will be paid and accommodation costs i.e. for conferences, visits to properties, etc

You can help us to make a real difference with our excellent senior management team and contribute to the charity’s strategy and mission. We are looking for people with a positive outlook on providing the very best accommodation and support for older people to make their lives as special as we can.

Application instructions

If you would like more information before making a formal application, please do contact our Central Office or email us.  We would be pleased to share more with you and then provide the necessary documents for you to complete.

Application timeline: Applications will be received up until 31st December 2025

You can find out more about Abbeyfield Wessex on our website.