Help Shape the Future of Children’s Healthcare in Sussex. Join the Board of Trustees at Rockinghorse Children’s Charity.
As a Trustee, you'll work alongside fellow Board members and our Executive Team to:
- Help shape the charity's long-term strategy and future direction.
- Ensure Rockinghorse is well governed, financially sustainable and delivering the greatest possible impact.
- Support and challenge the Executive Team as we deliver our ambitious plans.
- Champion the charity and help build relationships that strengthen our work across Sussex.
This is an opportunity to contribute to decisions that will help thousands of children and families every year.
We're particularly interested in hearing from people with experience in:
- Finance
- Healthcare or allied professions
- Charity governance
- Fundraising
- Business leadership
- Marketing and communications
- Research, data or evaluation
- IT
- Digital
- Business development
We're particularly keen to hear from people with lived experience of children's healthcare and from people whose backgrounds and experiences are currently underrepresented on charity boards.
About Rockinghorse
Rockinghorse was set up in 1967 by Dr Trevor Mann as an appeal to provide the first neonatal incubator outside London.
The appeal not only marked the beginning of our charity, but also the very early days of what later became the Trevor Mann Baby Unit. Dr Mann was intrinsic to paediatric care in Sussex as we know it today.
Roll forward to today, and we are proud to be the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton along with the Trevor Mann Baby Unit.
We also support many other NHS hospital settings throughout Sussex, including Bluefin Ward at Worthing, Chalkhill and the Special Care Baby Unit at Haywards Heath, and Howard Ward at St Richard’s in Chichester.
Working in partnership with these services, we fund projects which focus on improving children’s physical and emotional well-being, while providing additional support services for parents and carers.
The projects we support fall into six key categories: toys, equipment, spaces, research, activities, and people.
Our Vision
Rockinghorse’s vision is a world where children are healthy and happy.
Our Mission
We fund and deliver transformative projects and services that enhance the care and support given by our incredible colleagues in the NHS.
We invest in state-of-the-art treatments, life-saving equipment, critical mental health support, additional people, ground-breaking research, and inspiring spaces that go above and beyond for children.
We work in partnership with the UHSussex NHS Trust and other charities to ensure every young patient and their family receive the best possible care when they are unwell.
Our Values
We strive to always operate in line with the following guiding values.
We care
We care about children, young people, their families, and all those that look after for them. We always act with kindness and compassion. We care about the NHS and all those who work there. We care about the world and want to make it a better place.
We’re passionate
We are passionate about making life better for children, young people, and their families. If there’s something we can do to make life better for patients and their families, we’ll go above and beyond to do it. We are passionate about our community and all those in it.
We’re honest
We are open and honest about our work, what we fund and how we raise funds. We work hard to ensure money goes to projects that genuinely make a difference. We involve our supporters in our projects and share our learning and experience wherever possible.
We’re supportive
We help wherever and however we can. We support children and their families; we support Health Care Professionals (HCP) and paediatric
services, and we support each other as team members. We work with and support other charities and organisations who are doing great things for children in Sussex.
We’re collaborative
We prioritise working with people and organisations wherever possible. We work with experts and others for the best possible outcome for sick
children and their families. We love a partnership that prioritises impact and avoids duplication.
How to apply
If you’d like to help shape the future of children’s healthcare across Sussex, we’d love to hear from you. Please email a covering letter outlining your skills and experience in relation to the Trustee Job Description to Dr Oli Rahman, our Chair of Trustees, by 30 September 2026.
Interviews will be held in person in Brighton in October (dates/times flexible to shortlisted candidates).
If you have any questions about the role, process or the charity please email our CEO, Donna Holland.
For email addresses and further information, please refer to the attached Application Pack.
Registered Charity
6 - 10
Rockinghorse Children’s Charity supports sick and disabled children across Sussex
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The National Forest is about so much more than trees; it is pioneering new ways of working to transform landscapes, lives and livelihoods.
The last three decades have seen the National Forest Company drive forward delivery of the National Forest, taking it from a leap of faith to the success story we see today: a restored forest landscape; an emerging visitor destination; and communities that are connecting with nature. With a new Vision to 2050 now in place, highly experienced and dedicated Trustees, and a small but exceptionally committed staff team, the NFC is well placed to meet the challenges ahead.
They are now seeking to appoint a new Trustee to bring enthusiasm, ideas and expertise to support the organisation to take forward its communities and enterprise work.
This role is unremunerated, with travel, training and other expenses paid
Time commitment: Approximately 1 day per month
Remote/ hybrid, with quarterly Trustee meetings and ad hoc meetings in person
In person board meetings are on Fridays
Location: Swadlincote, Derbyshire
The successful candidate will have the right experience and outlook to steer work on communities and enterprise, including strategy and policy, major projects and evidence.
This role would suit a professional with expertise in one or all of the following:
- Community engagement
- Education
- Health & wellbeing
- Sustainable tourism
The role provides an exciting opportunity for an executive looking to develop further, an experienced non-executive director, or an individual pursuing a portfolio career. They will be a strategic thinker, have an understanding of governance and trustee responsibilities and an awareness of charity culture.
This is an opportunity to work with a highly professional organisation that is achieving extraordinary results through its passionate staff, Trustees, ambassadors, and supporters locally, regionally and nationally.
As a Trustee, this is an opportunity to enjoy a diverse and interesting programme, a stimulating environment, and a voice on the national stage.
For more information on the role, including how to apply, please view the full Appointment Brief
Recruitment timetable:
- Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026 (midnight)
- Informal discussions with the NFC: w/c 5 October 2026
- Panel interview, including a visit to the National Forest and informal meetings in person: Wednesday 21 October 2026
If you have any queries about the opportunity or for an informal conversation, please contact Louise Driver, Director of Operations, via email (see job pack for details).
The National Forest Company relies on the experience and commitment of people of all ages and backgrounds. It operates as an inclusive organisation and welcomes applications from all.
