The Ripple Project is seeking a chair and board members to help the community of Restalrig, Lochend and Craigentinny to flourish.

We are a company limited by guarantee and charity that both serves and works with its local community to tackle poverty and inequality by responding to local priorities, circumstances and needs in a sustainable way.

The Ripple is looking forward over the next 5 years to build our capacity to respond to the increasing needs within our community. This is an exciting opportunity for board members and an experienced chair to help make a genuine difference in a community that is struggling but strong.

We are seeking both an experienced chair and board members.

We are particularly interested in people who have knowledge and experience in the following areas:

• Role of Chair

• Role of Vice Chair

• Funding and Investment

• HR

• Communications

If you share our ambition and vision for better lives for local people and their communities we would love to hear from you.

As a member of the board, you'd be shaping our strategic vision, providing good independent judgement and making sure that everything we do is underpinned by strong governance. We are seeking candidates who can contribute the organisation more widely, whether that be taking part in fundraisers or assisting the CEO and team when needed. You would also act as an advocate for NEECS.

The Board of Trustees will review the services provided and develop a new strategic direction for the service. Key skills to support this work will include team-working and collaboration, combined with strong and supportive leadership.

The Board of Trustees are ultimately responsible for the management and administration, but operational delivery of the NEECS’ vision is delegated to the CEO. The CEO is accountable to the board for the efficient management of the charity and for the implementation of board-agreed priorities and business plan.

Who we are looking for

It is important that our Board is made up of people with a range of experiences, skills, backgrounds as well as lived experience, to help us to shape, support and realise our mission and aims.

Please note: we particularly encourage applications from individuals who are historically under-represented on boards due to age, disability, ethnicity, faith or belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, education, socio-economic background, or those with caring responsibilities. Candidates who may not think they fit the typical criteria required for Board membership, but who are inspired to contribute to our work, are warmly encouraged to apply.

Previous board experience is not necessary, but you’d be expected to take part in some training to prepare you for the role.

You also need to bring a passion for improving access to counselling across North East Edinburgh - especially for people affected by multiple factors of marginalisation. In addition, we'd love to hear from you if you bring experience in any of these areas:

• Charity management
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Law
• Income generation
• Health / Social Care

ABOUT EAST LOTHIAN COMMUNITY RAIL PARTNERSHIP

Community Rail Partnerships (CRP) were first established in England in the 1990s as a formal mechanism to reinvigorate local and rural railways. CRP status provides a framework for community involvement in strategic planning, development and operation of a specific railway line.

Since 2014, the East Lothian Community Rail Partnership has been pulling together a wide range of local organisations with an interest in communities and sustainable transport, to fix the link between railway stations, town centres and the surrounding areas, and realise an integrated transport network accessible to all. We work with four train operators (ScotRail, LNER, TransPennine Express, and Cross Country), Transport Scotland, East Lothian Council, the Regional Transport Partnership (SEStran), local businesses and community groups towards the following aims:

• Supporting the local economy by promoting rail use and rail facilities
• Actively promoting the use of rail and other public and low carbon-emitting transport
• Supporting safety, security and access initiatives relating to railway use
• Working with ‘station adopters’ (individuals and groups) to provide a more pleasant environment within the station areas.

ABOUT THE VACANCY

Harry Barker has been chairing East Lothian CRP since its inception in 2014 and is now preparing to pass on the reins of a well-established and respected organisation. In addition the time is right to expand the Board and also appoint a vice chair. Examples of projects completed to date include:

• restored the murals at Prestonpans Station (best community project 2023)
• improved signage to stations
• provided information boards for display in stations promoting local attractions and historical information
• supported many local events in the North Berwick and Dunbar areas
• producing a line guide and leaflets to encourage tourism
• working with bus operators to improve integration between bus and rail

Projects have always been dependent on external funding which to date has not proved problematical, and, as such, the incoming Chair will have the flexibility to pursue their own agenda. The CRP is financially sound and new ways of operating are being explored by The Community Rail Network and the new Chair will be well placed to provide input to these.

East Lothian CRP has no paid staff, and projects are led by volunteers under direction from the Board, and therefore the amount of work involved can vary but can be expected to be around 10 hours per month for the Chair.

DUTIES OF THE CHAIR

Responsibilities include:

• Ensuring that the CRP is run in accordance with the constitution
• Guiding and encouraging projects that will be undertaken from time to time
• Ensuring that the Action Plan is kept up to date
• Chairing four meetings per year, including the AGM (normally held in November)
• Producing an annual report for the AGM
• Ensuring that the activities of the CRP are within the guidelines produced by the Train Operating Companies in all respects particularly including safely

BENEFITS

You will receive a ‘staff’ rail pass from ScotRail permitting free rail travel throughout Scotland when travelling on ScotRail trains.

Reasonable expenses will be paid if required to travel on other rail services and/or stay overnight.

REQUIREMENTS

The successful applicant will be expected to support public transport in general, with a keen interest in integration between modes such as buses, active travel and rail.

A willingness of Board members to attend committees and conferences is essential (expenses will be covered) and these will give valuable access to professional railway staff and management on the front line, where your views can be heard. These include:

• the local ‘Rail Forum’ involving MSPs, Councillors and Train Operating Companies - twice a year, usually virtually
• in-person or virtual annual conferences of the four local Train Operating Companies (ScotRail, Cross Country Trains, TransPennine Express, and LNER) which may be held anywhere in the UK
• An annual event in Scotland sponsored by Modern Railways magazine which is attended by many high profile railway managers and senior representation from Transport Scotland
• Virtual attendance (via Zoom) at the national Community Rail Network meetings
• In-person Community Rail Networks Awards ceremony, if the CRP is short listed for an Award – this year’s was in Swansea over three days
• Six Community Area Partnership ‘On the Move’ groups consider local transport in East Lothian – CRP representation on one or more of these groups is important for a full appreciation of issues surrounding each station. Each On the Move Group meets every two months

A knowledge of railways and their workings is desirable but not essential.

Living in East Lothian and using the county’s rail services from time to time would be advantageous.

You will be expected to liaise with the station adoption groups from time to time. They have a separate relationship with ScotRail.

You will be expected to be pro-active in instructing the website to be kept up to date via the CRP’s appointed webmaster, and in responding to public enquiries which come via the website. You will not be required to answer complaints from the travelling public but direct these to ScotRail for attention.

From time to time it may be necessary to communicate with the local Press (East Lothian Courier and occasionally Edinburgh Evening News).