Ever wanted to use your talents and expertise to enhance and improve the lives of people with mental ill health or in emotional distress?

Mindspace Limited, one of Scotland’s most exciting mental health charities, based in Perth, offers an experienced Counselling Service alongside Scotland’s first independent Recovery College and Peer Support Hub working with hundreds of people across the county.

We are looking for enthusiastic, community-minded and experienced individuals of any age and background with skills to help our charity to succeed. The Board is responsible for the overall governance of the organisation and we are seeking to recruit new Trustees who will strengthen and complement our existing Board members.

What you bring:- commitment, experience, passion, drive and enthusiasm, alongside a good sense of humour.

The role:- support the organisation to meet its legal, financial and ethical obligations whilst providing an outstanding service to the people of Perth and Kinross.

The Commitment:- available to meet on average 6 times per annum for early evening Board meetings.

Director appointments for a new trading subsidiary of an established campaigning charity.

The Scottish Fair Trade Forum is establishing a trading subsidiary and is looking to appoint directors for the new company

Potential directors will have experience and/or knowledge of some (but not necessarily all) of the following: business with a social mission, charity trading subsidiaries, marketing, provision of consultancy services, financial management, and building relationships with customer organisations.

Positions are unpaid.

Could you be our next Chair?

Do you have a passion for books? Do you have these skills: Leadership, People, Communication

The Bookshop is an independent, ecumenical religious bookshop and a registered Scottish charity.

The Bookshop stocks a wide range of books and gifts that are ecumenical, inclusive and responsive to the needs and issues of our time.

Customers value advice from the dedicated, knowledgeable staff and enjoy a calm oasis in which to browse the selection of books, cards, candles and gifts.

In your new role, you will:

• Empower the Board, draw out and use the skills of each board member
• Chair monthly board meetings
• Represent the Bookshop where necessary with potential funders, supporters and customers
• Visit the Bookshop several times a month to find out how the business is doing and the issues staff face
• Promote the Bookshop through its own network and connections
• Motivate staff
• Be responsible for appointing new staff, when necessary, and working with other Board members
• Monitor Board effectiveness and composition, working with other Board members

Fife Law Centre, (Est. 2009), is a registered charity, constituted as a company limited by guarantee. It is the product of the vision of local agencies and providers who saw a need for accessible and specialist legal services for clients served by the Third Sector in Fife. These founding agencies are now our partners as we seek to provide for those with unmet legal need(s).

Fife Law Centre operates as a Board which sustains and supports a private legal firm, Fife Community Law Ltd, which itself is regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.

The purpose of the Board is to set the strategic direction of, and secure the resources for, Fife Law Centre, and to work with the Principal Solicitor to support the delivery of services. Our principal funders are Fife Council and the Scottish Legal Aid Board, under the Making Justice Work Project. We have also recently been successful in being awarded grants from the Volant Trust, the Robertson Trust and the National Lottery Improving Lives Fund.

We are currently seeking to recruit Board members with various skills, including financial management, Third Sector organisations and their purposes in Fife, and statutory bodies e.g. local government and health.

The current focus of legal work is on cases of homelessness, welfare law and supporting victims of domestic violence. The firm now also accepts employment related cases. Matters in other fields are dealt with at the discretion of the Principal Solicitor.

The Board meets 5/6 times a year in a formal setting, with Board members taking a lead in different topics, occasionally in work groups. The pandemic has required the firm and the Board to work differently, and new trustees will join a Board reflecting on the demands which may face Fife Law Centre in the future, how they might be met, and how proper governance should be discharged.

Main Purpose of post:To be the guiding hand of the Board of this dynamic charity

Join our Board – Break the Silence

Who are we? Break the silence breakthesilence.org.uk Operating since 2004, Break the Silence is a registered charity in Scotland and a Company Limited by Guarantee. It provides a range of tailored, holistic support options for survivors of rape and childhood sexual abuse, aged 13 years and above. Our vision is to make a profound and positive difference in the lives of those affected by sexual trauma.

A recent strategy session refreshed our key values, and we have a clear action plan for the next three years.

The role:An interim Chair was co-opted in November ’21 to oversee a refresh of the strategic direction and vision of the charity and conduct a thorough governance review. This process has now been completed with the amazing support and enthusiasm of the entire staff team. Part of the process was finding new trustees as some long-standing trustees had served their full terms. This comes at an appropriate juncture; having supported Break the Silence to this point it gives them a much-deserved rest and allows for new talent to step into trustee roles and help move the organisation forward with its new strategy.

It is now appropriate for the Interim Chair to step down and hand over the reins to a new Chair to build on the very solid foundations put in place over the last nine months. In addition, the timing offers an opportunity to fully embed the new trustees and utilise the pool of new talent, experience, and new ideas. The Board meets 6-8 times a year, typically for a two-hour meeting held digitally. Board papers are distributed in advance. Historically the trustees have worked closely with the small staff team so there would be an opportunity to work collaboratively on specific projects. Currently there is a trustee led Communications sub-group focusing on social media and raising the profile of Break the Silence.

About you:The charity welcomes applicants that reflect the diversity of the community we serve. We value the diversity of opinion, thought and experience that a new board member can bring. The appointment may appeal to an experienced person wishing to volunteer as a Chair for the first time or from those more experienced in this key role. It is important to Break the Silence that potential candidate share our values of being compassionate and collaborative, effective and knowledgeable in supporting those affected by sexual trauma and supports the Charity’s vision to influence and inform within the sector. We strive to be a Centre of Excellence for our service users and all our stakeholders.

Make a difference to the lives of carers and disabled people in Dundee and join our Board of Trustees.

We aim to make a difference to the lives of carers of all ages and disabled people in Dundee, ensuring their rights are promoted and upheld. You can help influence how we do that by joining our Board of Trustees.

To support you to explore this exciting and worthwhile opportunity, a member of our Board of Trustees would be delighted to speak with you.

An exciting opportunity to join our college as a Director of the Board

Newbattle Abbey College is seeking to recruit several new members to its Board of Directors. You may never have considered a Board position before; however, your experience may be invaluable! Many of us do not realise how much we have to offer, so even if you are not sure that the Boardroom is for you, please contact us and discuss the role and the contribution you could make.

The Board of Directors has a pivotal role in achieving our ambition. As a Director of the Board, you will demonstrate commitment, provide leadership and strategic direction for the College, drive excellence in corporate governance, and support staff to deliver the highest standards of learning and teaching. The Board also has a crucial role in engaging with key stakeholders, businesses, and employers across the community and beyond. Board Directors are expected to act as public ambassadors and advocates for the College, valuing and respecting diversity and promoting an ethos of inclusion, equality, and positive well-being.

The time commitment may be up to 10 days per year, mainly in the afternoons/early evenings. The post is not remunerated; however, reasonable expenses will be reimbursed. The appointment term will be up to four years in the first instance.

If you would like further information about the role or to arrange a discussion, please contact Pauline Donald, Board Governance Advisor (interim) paulinedonald@nac.ac.uk.

Remuneration: The post is not remunerated; however, reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

Survivors Unite is a Scottish Borders charity that works to support adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and facilitate their recovery.

Our Board of Trustees meets every two months, with a mix of face-to-face meetings in Selkirk and virtual meetings.

We are looking to attract additional Trustees who have an interest in this area of work and have experience to contribute to the Board of Trustees

The main duties of a Trustee with Survivors Unite are to participate in Board meetings and subgroup work, to act as an advocate for the organisation, and be responsible for governance and strategy.

Further information and an application form are attached.

Information for Applicants

The development of the organization came about when people with experience of CSA came together for peer support and recognised the need for innovative compassionate and peer-led approaches to reach others across our local, rural area.

Survivors Unite became an independent charity in 2018 and is currently funded by

the Scottish Government, the Robertson Trust, the National Lottery Community Fund and Foundation Scotland. This enables us to work with survivors in all stages of recovery and offer 1:1 peer support; counselling / therapy; and a facilitated peer support group, with ambitions to develop other services as resources allow. For more information on what we do, visit: survivorsunite.org.uk/home

We encourage applications from survivors and those who have been supported by our services, but only from those who have been out of our services for more than one year.

We provide induction for Trustees who can also access training and resources to develop their understanding of abuse and trauma as required.

UHI, as the Regional Strategic Body, seeks to recruit an independent Chair of its Transition Board, the governing body charged with overseeing the merger of UHI North Highland, UHI Outer Hebrides, and UHI West Highland. The merger is an exciting strategic partnership which will create a more sustainable, anchor institution within UHI, ideally placed to respond to the region’s key growth sectors. The combined capacity and resource will enable:

• growth in curriculum, research and innovation;
• development of partnerships to support employers in addressing the skills shortages in the area; and
• an increased response to the social, cultural, and economic opportunities in the region.

Up until now, a Partnership Board has been in place to oversee the merger programme. Following the approval of the merger proposal and business case by the Boards of Management at each of the three colleges, the Partnership Board will now be replaced with a Transition Board, which will eventually become the Board of Management for the merged college. The successful applicant will lead the Transition Board through the implementation stage before assuming the role of Chair of the Board of Management on vesting date. The Transition Board/Board of Management sets the overall strategic direction of the Merged College and is responsible for its corporate governance.

Chairing the Board will be an excellent opportunity for the successful applicant to share knowledge and expertise while taking an active part in enabling this new organisation to meet its strategic aims, thus making a real difference to the education and prospects of our learners and the wellbeing and success of our communities. Applicants should be prepared to devote the equivalent of an average of at least one day each week to this demanding but exciting role, and should note that there may be times, particularly when forming the Transition Board, when more time will be required. This position is voluntary and unpaid although reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

UHI is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

For further information on the college merger, please visitHome - Rural and Islands College Merger Project (uhi.ac.uk).

greenspace scotland is looking for up to four new Trustees to join our Board.

Greenspace makes a big difference to our quality of life and sense of place. Parks and greenspaces are our natural health service, our children’s outdoor classrooms and our cities’ green lungs.

greenspace scotland has provided a national lead on greenspace since 2002. As Scotland’s parks and greenspace charity, we have been influential in shaping a supporting policy context for greenspace, promoting good practice on greenspace delivery, and pioneering new approaches to managing and resourcing parks and greenspaces.

Never before has our work been more important. The experiences of the last two years – both the pandemic and extreme weather events - have led many to re-evaluate the importance of greenspace and blue-green infrastructure in our lives and places.

Our Trustees play a key role in the governance and strategic leadership of our organisation.

You will be joining an experienced Board and we are looking for Trustees who will bring their own individual range of knowledge, skills and experience to contribute to the overall richness of the Board.

We want a diverse board of Trustees with a depth and breadth of insight experience and perspective. We welcome and value people of different backgrounds, thinking and skills. We recognise that the environment sector is under-represented by people from ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds, LGBT+ and disabled people, and we want to change that. We especially welcome candidates from these backgrounds and from young people.

We are interested in hearing from experienced or first-time Trustees who are committed to our work and can make a valuable contribution to our development.

Our Chair will retire in April 2023 following completion of his full-term of office and so we are also looking to recruit a new Chair – more details here greenspacescotland.org.uk/chair-greenspace-scotland