Trustee with experience of community engagement

Based in Barnes in Richmond Borough, we are a charity that increases biodiversity and climate resilience in partnership with the local Council and in collaboration with our local community. We manage Barnes Common and Leg O'Mutton Local Nature Reserves and, when funding is provided, other local ecologically significant sites. We recently partnered to receive central government funds for natural flood resilience work around our local Thames tributary, Beverley Brook. Our monitoring programme includes award winning citizen science.

Established in 2013 and currently with a board of six trustees, the charity has professional staff that support 7,000 hours of volunteer time. We provide outdoor learning for local schools, as well as running a community engagement programme providing lifelong learning, and a community growing project. In 2019 we received the Queen's Award for voluntary service.

We are now looking to expand our board to bring in the capacity and skills we need to capitalise on our opportunities.

What our trustees do:

They set the vision and lead the charity: deciding how it is run and ensuring it does what it was set up to do. Their tasks include:

• Strategic decision making, oversight of risks, and managing finance and investments
• Leading and supporting key relationships, including with the Council, partner organisations and the local community
• Applying their individual skills to support the work of a small professional team working in nature conservation, education and community engagement

Who we are looking for:

You should have a connection to south-west London as well as a demonstrable appreciation of wild spaces, and an understanding of their contribution to biodiversity and wellbeing, and of the challenges they face. We are also looking for candidates that:

• Are committed to understanding and playing their part in charity governance and as trustee
• Have the ability to work collaboratively and be resourceful, including in making and bringing connections that help us deliver our goals
• Are able to attend four in person board meetings each year plus a strategy day, plus ad hoc communication / involvement, extent depending on skills brought.
• Bring one of the following three specific skills:

1. Practical nature conservation expertise, perhaps in an urban environment, including knowledge of relevant statutory /non-statutory frameworks and potential partners
2. Education expertise relevant to helping us apply our experience in outdoor learning to the forthcoming GCSE in Natural History
3. Community engagement expertise, including perhaps in digital comms, particularly to help build community giving as a key part of our funding model going forward

We welcome applicants of all ages and backgrounds, and are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion.