We are Right There, a charity celebrating 200 years of service this year. We provide tailored support to individuals at home and in the community, helping those affected by homelessness, poverty, addiction, and family breakdowns.

Our vision is a world where everyone has the opportunity to create a safe and supportive place to call home. We strive to challenge stereotypes—regardless of a person’s situation, we are here to help, not judge. Our approach is about creating trusting relationships and nurturing people’s strengths,

Last year we supported almost 4,000 people, helping them avoid homelessness and stay connected with their loved ones. In partnership with Sonnet Advisory and Impact, we recently launched a report estimating that Right There generates a societal benefit of at least £308 million annually (net present value) based on a single cohort of referrals.

You would be joining Right There at a pivotal time, as Scotland faces a housing emergency declared by the Scottish Government. As a Board Trustee, you will play a crucial role in guiding our charity through these challenges and leveraging new opportunities. Your involvement will ensure our services remain effective and impactful.

Becoming a Trustee is a highly rewarding experience, offering the chance to influence strategic decisions, oversee governance, and support the delivery of life-changing services. We are looking for individuals passionate about our mission and values, with relevant knowledge and experience in:

• Strategic Commissioning (as a funder or provider)

• Children and family services design and delivery

• Scotland’s housing and homelessness landscape

• Policy, PR, or Communications

Provan Hall Community Management Trust are seeking new Trustees

Provan Hall is an A listed medieval building located in Auchinlea Park, which sits at the heart of Easterhouse, Glasgow. It is the best example of a medieval fortified house in Scotland with records of its existence dating back to the 1470s. The building has recently undergone a £3m restoration by Glasgow City Council that will safeguard this important heritage asset as a new hub for heritage learning and engagement, and a visitor gateway to the Seven Lochs Wetland Park.

Following its restoration, Provan Hall is managed and operated by the independent charity, Provan Hall Community Management Trust. The aim of the Trust is to engage and inspire local people to value and take part in caring for their local heritage and to put Provan Hall on Scotland’s tourism map. We are an ambitious organisation with a community heart. We aim to provide opportunities that connect local people and visitors to Provan Hall through inclusive and creative means of heritage interpretation, activities and volunteering. To develop our sustainability, we generate income through venue hires, a gift shop, by acting as a filming location and through donations.

Provan Hall Community Management Trust formed in 2017 during the building’s restoration and we opened Provan Hall in September 2023 to the public. Since 2023, we have made strides in developing our resilience and sustainability for the future. We have high hopes for continuing to develop our community engagement and initiating our tourism strategies. This is an exciting time to join our Trust in the early stages of our building operation, to help lay strong foundations for a bright future.

The board of Provan Hall Community Management Trust would like to hear from anyone who feels they have skills, knowledge or experience that can support our vision and specifically, we are seeking skills in the following:

Finance

Tourism

Heritage/museums

Fundraising

Marketing and Comms

Number of meetings per year: 4 – 6

Daytime meetings

Closing Date:

Support and opportunities:

-Induction to Provan Hall Community Management Trust including meeting staff, tour of the building, briefing of previous reports etc.

- Training available via our industry memberships on Trustee responsibilities and governance.

Contact details: info@provanhall.org

Website: provanhall.org

Social media:

FB: @ProvanHallTrust

IG: @provan_hall

X: @ProvanHall

Aberlour are the largest solely Scottish children’s charity; we help to transform the lives of disadvantaged children, young people and families across Scotland, and we are looking to recruit new Trustees who will join us in our efforts to ensure children have the opportunities and support they deserve.

Aberlour has a rich history of delivering vital services to vulnerable children, young people and their families. Since our inception as an orphanage in Speyside in 1875 and the formal establishment of Aberlour Child Care Trust in 1976, we have developed a significant reputation for delivering the following services: residential care and fostering, recovery, early years, disability, early intervention and youth work. We offer support at the earliest opportunity – giving children the best possible start in life is at the heart of everything we do.

Due to Trustees coming to the end of their term, we are seeking up to five new Trustees with a range of skills to join the Board during 2025 to help us to deliver our ambitious strategic priorities and goals to transform the lives of disadvantaged children across Scotland. Applicants should have the values, experience and passion to lead one of Scotland’s leading charities at a time when our support is needed more than ever.

We are looking for the following skills:

• Chartered accountant with strong financial skills, in particular charity accounting, that would allow you to chair or join our Finance Committee.
• Understanding of children’s services or social care. Also experience of scrutiny or quality improvement that would allow you to chair or join our Improvement, Audit & Risk Committee.
• Experience of social investment.
• Policy development, especially in relation to engaging with children and families who are overcoming trauma.
• Learning and development.
• Lived experiences that can bring empathy with children and young people.
• Understanding of the demands and complexities of board-level governance and experience of operating at a senior level in Corporate, Public or Third sector environments would be an advantage.

In welcoming applications from all parts of Scotland’s communities, we recognise that diversity in the voices around our table will better reflect the communities we serve. If you believe you could add real value to our board table but don’t meet some or all the criteria we have laid out, we would still love to hear from you, but please highlight for us the value you would bring in your application.

You will be required to attend 4 Board meetings, relevant committee meetings and a Board Development Day each year.

Charity trustees are expected to direct the affairs of the charity through efficient, effective and accountable governance, ensuring that the organisation is professionally run and acts in accordance with its stated aims and objectives. These are unpaid roles, but reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

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).