Chair of Trustees

PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide is the UK charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people.

Suicide is the biggest killer of people aged 35 and under in the UK. We believe that suicide is preventable. PAPYRUS was founded in 1997 by a group of bereaved parents, who had each lost children to suicide. 

Our founding parents shared core beliefs that suicide is preventable, and that those of us with lived experience of suicide have a valuable and unique contribution to make to the wider conversation around suicide. Since then, PAPYRUS has grown into a UK-wide charity.

We are a leading suicide prevention charity in the UK. Our suicide prevention helpline, HOPELINE247, is staffed by highly trained professional advisers, who work with young people – and anybody concerned for a young person – to help keep them safe from suicide.

We work with communities across the UK, engaging them in our mission to prevent suicide in children and young people. We engage them through our resources and training, learning with them and galvanising them to help save young lives.  We also press for change to current legislation around suicide prevention on a regional and national level.

The Board of Trustees works with the Chief Executive to ensure that PAPYRUS has a clear strategy in place to deliver its charitable purpose. As detailed in our governing document; a majority of the trustees will be those who have been touched by suicide.

We are recruiting a Chair of Trustees to join our Board of Trustees. We are looking for a diverse range of people with passion, commitment, energy and a range of experience and expertise.

PAPYRUS is committed to the principle of equal opportunity, and its recruitment policies are designed to ensure that no job applicant, employee or volunteer receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender re-assignment,
marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

My tenure as Chair of Trustees of PAPYRUS is soon to come to an end and it has been the honour of my life to have held that position since 2019. It is my fervent hope that whoever succeeds me will share the same passion and commitment to the vital cause of saving young lives.

To apply for this opportunity, please visit our careers site.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 19 October 2025 (midnight)