Trustees needed for local Hampshire/Romsey-based charity – Romsey Cancer Support Centre

Jane Scarth House, our support centre, opened in 1995, provides emotional and practical support to anyone whose life is affected by cancer.and provides a range of expert professional and confidential services and complementary therapies to help people affected by cancer from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. In the Centre we have a team of committed, trained counsellors, therapists and befrienders. Our Centre Manager and the charity’s Ambassador are also based here.

Anyone who can get to us can use our services with clients travelling from across Hampshire and Wiltshire. Some of our services are available remotely for those who find it difficult to travel. Accessibility and safety for our clients is our priority and our centre is fully accessible for wheelchairs. All services are provided free of charge. Local fundraising support is essential to continue to provide our services and we are hugely grateful for the commitment of so many who fundraise for us.

We also have a charity shop (really more of a 'collective boutique’) run by a staff and volunteer team with all profits supporting the work of the Centre.

Our volunteers are, and have always been, at the heart of all we do. We have a small group of Trustees who have been with the charity since we became independent in 2014, during which time we have continued to deliver and develop our services, built a strong financial base from which to grow from, moved to a more accessible and purpose built Centre, added an additional space for groups, grown the support given by Jane’s and, as with everyone else, tackled the challenges brought by Covid.

We now need to look to the future and with many of our Trustees having served three terms, the time is right to welcome new Trustees and the skills they can bring. We are particularly looking for people with the following skills: financial, HR, retail, fundraising and community involvement but will welcome applications from all.

Commitment:

Trustee meetings are held every two months, each lasting about 2 hours but additionally to include preparation in reading papers in advance

Visit and spend time in Centre and Shop each at least once in each year, getting to know how both places operate and spending time meeting staff and volunteers

Supporting recruitment of staff if required

Meetings are generally held in the evening at Jane Scarth House in Romsey but occasionally on Zoom

Term of appointment will be 3 years, with Trustee serving a maximum of three terms, unless in exceptional circumstances (or unless constitution is changed)