Volunteer Trustee with Arboricultural Specialism

Following a skills audit of our current Board of Trustees, we are recruiting an additional volunteer Trustee to support us with improving our woodland management strategy.

Hours & Remuneration

We have 10 Board meetings a year, usually held online. In addition, there will be some meetings with the Managing Director and Collections Manager as needed. Trustees are also encouraged to attend at least one Tortworth event per annum.

Our Organisation

We are a community restoring the Dell at Tortworth Arboretum, to create a woodland where people and trees thrive together.

Our vision is a welcoming woodland, accessible to all, where people and nature thrive alongside our botanic tree collection.

Our mission is to nurture the symbiosis between people and trees by:

• restoring and managing the exotic tree collection at Tortworth, with and for the community,
• creating an inspiring and inclusive community space where people nurture themselves and nature through learning heritage, conservation and wellbeing skills.

Our values that underpin everything we do are inclusion, learning, and collaboration. Founded in 2015, hundreds of volunteers have worked tirelessly to restore the 20-acre arboretum which had become overgrown, inaccessible and unsafe for the public to visit. We have been reducing brambles, rhododendrons and other invasive species, to allow native flora to thrive alongside our collection of exotic trees.

Alongside our woodland restoration work, we enable and empower people who wouldn’t usually access the countryside for wellbeing. Bec, our Founder, started the Hawthorn Project in 2015, to support self-identifying women recovering from addiction or struggling with poor mental health. Our experienced session leaders create a safe space where women can be outdoors in nature. Together, they learn new skills and connect with others, without the fear of being judged. Alongside this, we run Woodland Management Volunteer Days and the Oak Tree Project, which are open to all genders.

Tortworth Forest Centre CIC is currently a registered not-for-profit Community Interest Company (Registered in England and Wales number 09561405), about to transition into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). We rely on public and corporate donations, grant funding and event ticket sales to support the restoration of Tortworth Arboretum and our community wellbeing projects. The land is owned and leased to us by woodlands.co.uk.

Applicants

We welcome individuals of all backgrounds and are keen to ensure that our team reflects the diversity of the people who attend the project.

Purpose of the role

Tortworth Forest Centre is at an important stage in its growth from a grassroots volunteer project to a CIC with £200k+ turnover. We are now in the process of transitioning to a charity to secure the future of our organisation and the woodland we look after for the long-term. This is an opportunity to join a supportive, adaptable and reflective team, helping us to strengthen our woodland management strategy to our arboretum for future generations.

We currently have six Trustees, including a Managing Director who leads the staff team. Working with the Trustees you will be jointly responsible for ensuring the strategy is delivered and the organisation is run smoothly at a time of change and growth. We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates with arboricultural experience, who are confident in woodland management and heritage sites. You will mentor the Collections Manager to continue to improve our woodland management systems and recording processes.

The Trustees should be able to engage the public and local organisations in the story of Tortworth, inspiring them to be part of this exciting restoration and wellbeing project. As a member of our small but mighty team, you will be expected to represent the organisation at one of our public events each year.

Key objectives

• To co-develop and implement a strategy and business plan which secures the financial sustainability of the organisation.
• To empower the team, our volunteers and the public to be part of the future of the arboretum.
• To help raise the profile of the arboretum and leverage in-kind support and financial donations.

Duties & Responsibilities
Leadership

• Ensure the organisation pursues its stated objects (purposes), as defined in its governing document, by scrutinising the strategy and its implementation
• Ensure the organisation complies with its governing document, UK law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations
• Ensure the organisation applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its community objects for the benefit of the public
• Ensure the organisation defines its goals and evaluates performance against agreed targets
• Safeguarding the good name and values of the organisation
• Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation, including having appropriate policies and procedures in place
• Increase the financial sustainability of the organisation through the diversification of our income streams to include a balanced mix of grants, donations and traded income
• Protect and manage the property of the CIO and ensuring the proper investment of the CIO’s funds
• Following proper and formal arrangements for the appointment, supervision, support, appraisal and remuneration of the Managing Director

In addition to the above statutory duties, each Trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions. This will involve scrutinising board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, or other issues in which you have special expertise.

Skill & Competencies
Essential:

• Proven track record of managing woodlands, tree collections or arboretums.
• Experience of networking and making connections with similar organisations and partners.
• Creative approach to problem solving.
• Confident scrutinising woodland management reports and translating arboricultural language into accessible terms.
• IT literate; for example competent with use of the Google Drive suite of programmes, email etc.
• Set-up for online evening meetings via Google meet.

Desirable:

• Arboricultural qualification.
• Experience of working with a team of Trustees
• Interest in outdoor mental health approaches, nature connection, mindfulness.
• Experience working with the not-for-profit sector.

Reporting to:

• Chair of the Board of Trustees with mentoring from the wider Board of Trustees

Please send a cover letter and CV detailing your relevant experience to Amy Walsh, Managing Director of Tortworth Forest Centre CIC by clicking on Apply Now.