Moving on officer volunteer roles in Sirhowy, blaenau gwent

Northern Rascals CIC is at the beginning of an exciting new chapter: we are recruiting a Chair and Board members to support our next chapter.  As a leading dance-theatre company from Calderdale, Yorkshire, we are excited to share our work more widely than ever before and build the sustainability and resilience of the company over the next few years.  Our Board will be central to making these ambitions a reality.

We want our Board to reflect our work and communities, and welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds across England, especially those from underrepresented groups.

You may bring relevant professional experience, or your own lived experience. You might have been on a Board before, or you might be joining a Board for the first time. 

Desirable skills areas

• Experience in marketing, communications and audience development

• Experience in finance and accounting

• Experience in community outreach and partnerships

• Experience in the legal sector and / or with governance experience

• Experience leading or managing arts and cultural organisations and venues

Purpose of the role

The Chair and Board will provide strategic leadership and oversight of the CIC, ensuring it operates effectively, legally, and in line with its community benefit purpose.

Statutory duties (as the Board)

• Promote and ensure good governance

• Review and support the strategic direction of the CIC, setting ambitious targets, evaluating performance and measuring achievements

• Ensure activities continue to meet the community interest test (by demonstrating that Northern Rascal’s activities are carried on for the benefit of the community and do not result in private profit)

• Make sure the CIC’s finances and property are protected and used only for community benefit

• Oversee financial management, budgets, and risk

• Ensure compliance with Company law; CIC regulations; Companies House filing requirements

• Approve and sign off the annual CIC report

• Appoint, support, and oversee senior staff 

• Act in the best interests of the CIC at all times

• Declare and manage conflicts of interest

Further responsibilities 

• Ensure the organisation adheres to the funding criteria for the grants received from Arts Council and other funders

• Promote a progressive understanding of and commitment to diversity in all forms

• Extend the company’s networks of contacts and open doors

• Support and contribute to the development of fundraising

• Review and approve internal policies, such as Equality & Diversity, Safeguarding, Finance.

• Support the Co-Directors with insights from your own experience and knowledge

Please see the recruitment pack for full details - available on Northern Rascals website.

Trustees with legal, financial or marketing expertise sought (voluntary roles) 

The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM) has supported breastfeeding families across the UK for over 40 years. We provide high-quality, evidence-based information and support to help parents make informed feeding choices and reach their own breastfeeding goals. 

ABM is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is currently in an important period of transition. We are moving from a predominantly volunteer-led organisation to a more sustainable staff-led model, while continuing to value and invest in our volunteers. As part of this development, ABM has recently appointed its first Chief Executive Officer, strengthening our operational capacity and enabling the Board to focus more clearly on governance, strategy and long-term resilience. 

We are now seeking three new trustees to join our Board. Legal and finance experience would be particularly welcome, but we also welcome applicants with a healthcare professional background, and from those with experience in marketing and communications.

About ABM 

Our work includes: 

• Co-running the National Breastfeeding Helpline, in partnership with the Breastfeeding Network, providing direct support to parents 24 hours a day, 365 days a year 

• Producing accessible, evidence-based resources for parents and professionals 

• Delivering education and training for volunteers and professionals involved in infant feeding support 

• Advocating nationally for breastfeeding through participation in strategic and policy-focused groups 

The trustee roles 

We are particularly keen to hear from people who can bring legal or financial expertise to the Board. The examples below are intended to give a sense of the types of experience that may be helpful in these roles, however, they are not a list of essential criteria, and we welcome applications from people whose experience may sit outwith these specific examples. 

Legal expertise 

• Charity law, employment law, governance, compliance, contracts or regulatory frameworks 

• Confidence in advising the Board on governance responsibilities, risk and sound decision-making 

Financial / accounting expertise 

• Financial management, accounting, audit, budgeting or financial oversight 

• Ability to support trustees in understanding financial information and long-term sustainability 

Previous trustee experience is welcome but not essential. What matters most is your willingness to contribute your skills thoughtfully, ask good questions, and support ABM’s mission and values. 

What being a trustee involves 

Trustees are expected to play an active and engaged role in ABM’s governance and strategic direction. This includes: 

• Attending Board meetings every second month (six meetings per year), currently held remotely in the evening and lasting up to two hours 

• Reading papers in advance and contributing thoughtfully to discussion and decision-making 

• Engaging with Board communications between meetings, including email and Microsoft Teams discussions, to support timely and informed governance 

• Taking part in occasional additional meetings or events during the year, including an annual planning and review session 

We recognise that trustees are volunteers and aim to be realistic and respectful of people’s time. What matters most is consistent engagement, good judgement, and a collaborative approach. 

Support and induction 

We offer: 

• A comprehensive induction 

• Ongoing support from the Chair, fellow trustees and staff 

• Training where needed to support you in the role 

Our values and commitment to inclusion 

You do not need personal breastfeeding experience to be a trustee. However, it is essential that you support ABM’s charitable purpose and recognise the importance of breastfeeding to the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies. 

ABM is fully committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified people and are keen to ensure our Board reflects the diversity of the families we support. We warmly welcome applications from men, as well as from people who are currently under-represented on our Board, including disabled people and people from Black and minoritised ethnic communities. 

Language note 

We celebrate diversity in family structure and individual circumstance. We use the terms parent, mother, father, and infant, welcoming every parent’s preference for the terms they use to describe themselves. We use the term breastfeeding, recognising that parents may choose to use other terms, for instance body-feeding, chestfeeding or nursing. 

As described in the Lancet Series 2023 “we use the terms women and breastfeeding throughout this [document] because most people who breastfeed identify as women; we recognise that not all people who breastfeed or chestfeed identify as women” (Baker et al, 2023). 

The best quality support is culturally sensitive and tailored to meet each 

individual’s needs (Gavine et al, 2022). 

Closing date: Friday 22nd February 2026, 5pm 
Interviews: Week commencing 3rd March 2026 

About us

VoiceAbility is an independent charity and one of the UK’s largest providers of advocacy and involvement services. We deliver a wide range of service contracts funded by local authorities, health trusts and other voluntary and private sector organisations.

We’ve been supporting people to have their say in decisions about their health, care, and wellbeing for over 40 years. We make sure people are heard when it matters most.  For more information on what Advocacy is and the services offered then please visit our website.

About the role?

Our Trustees play a critical role in the organisation, helping set the strategy and review progress in relation to it, providing support, challenge and expertise to the Chief Executive and Directors.

A Trustee plays an essential role in seeking to maximise VoiceAbility’s positive impact as well as to stretch and hold to account the Chief Executive.

The role also has ultimate responsibility for the compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as ensuring that the organisation acts in line with its charitable objectives and is financially stable. Trustees work as a team, applying good judgement and taking collective responsibility.

About you

We are looking for a Trustee with sound independent judgement, strategic vision and the ability to think creatively.  You will embody the organisations values and act in the best interests of the charity at all times. 

You will be engaged and motivated by the work of VoiceAbility and be able to build strong relationships and have experience of working as a non-Executive director or Trustee; however, lived experience is equally important.

We are seeking to recruit Trustees who bring Expertise in Finance, Safeguarding, Human Resources, Commercial and Operational Delivery.

Time commitment

Approximately one day per month.  Please note that this time commitment will be spread across multiple days and is likely to be cyclical.

There are four board meetings per annum.  Board meetings tend to be online, but face-to-face, or hybrid meetings may take place from time to time.  There would also be a commitment of two to four committee meetings per annum, a board strategy or development day and site visits.  Each trustee will also belong to at least one committee.

Equality and Diversity

VoiceAbility believes in fostering an inclusive workplace which welcomes, values, and celebrates the diversity of its staff and partners, treats all on a basis of equality and encourages all to meet their maximum potential.

VoiceAbility are a Disability Confident employer, any applicant that identifies themselves as having a disability and can demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview.  If you need to apply in a different way, please contact HR for further options.

How to apply

Please follow the link to our latest vacancy page

Important Dates:

Closing date for applications: 

28 February 2026

 Interviews to be held: ongoing

Do you have a passion to make a difference in the lives of children and families? Spurgeons is seeking new trustees to join our current Board in bringing prayerful wisdom and strategic guidance over the coming years.

Spurgeons is one of the UK’s leading children’s charities, supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged children and their families for 150 years. Inspired by Christian faith and our founder Charles Spurgeon, we’re here for all families. Together, we create family hubs where we’re needed most, with counselling, early years and family support. We partner with local councils, churches and communities to care for every family, putting children and young people first in everything we do. Our services also include parenting support and resources, mental health support for children and young people, and working with families affected by domestic abuse and imprisonment.

These services are needed more than ever, and our current strategy focuses on growth, innovating in partnership with churches, developing online family hubs to expand our reach and ensuring fundraising is a strategic priority. We are ambitious and hopeful about how we can grow to make a significant impact on many more children’s lives in the future.

To support Board succession planning, we are seeking to appoint five new trustees with a range of skills and experience including:

· Fundraising and marketing

· Finance

· Children’s services e.g. senior leadership experience within social services, the care sector, local authorities, health, education, or charitable contexts

· Safeguarding

· Cultural change and transformation

Given an occupational requirement for these roles to be filled by Christians, we are seeking candidates with a personal and active Christian faith who are comfortable and aligned with the statement of faith outlined on our website.

In order to build on our Baptist heritage, we are also keen to ensure that at least one of our trustees is a member of, or has a connection with, the Baptist church.

Spurgeons values diversity, promotes inclusion, and encourages applications from a diverse range of candidates, including those with lived experience of children’s support services. We recognise the need to increase the diversity of the Board, for example in terms of age, ethnicity, disability, gender and LGBTQ+ representation.

In terms of location, at present, Board meetings take place in London and committee meetings take place virtually via Teams.

For further information, including full details of how to apply, please see our Appointment Details Pack which can be downloaded from the application resources/ supporting documents section below. Application is by submission of CV and cover letter via email to Laura Bagley at Macaulay Search (please see Appointment Details Pack for contact details).

The closing date for applications is 9am on Monday 2nd March 2026.