Duncan Place Community Hub in Leith is looking for up to six volunteer Trustees to make up a board of twelve. We are looking for Trustees willing to share their skills, knowledge and experience, and who can work in a team to ensure good governance and provide strategic direction to the staff team who carry out the day-to-day operations and management.

Trustees should be universally welcoming and supportive of our diverse community.

If you have the following skills and experience, let’s talk:

• Charity management and Development
• Community and Membership Development
• Marketing and Communications
• Social Impact Measurement
• Accountancy / Finance / Investment
• Staff Development

We welcome other skills and experience too and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences who can add value to the organisation.

Duncan Place offers some activities for children. Whilst day to day contact is unlikely, Trustees are involved in safeguarding via policies and procedures, so are therefore required to join the Protecting Vulnerable Group (PVG) Scheme. Duncan Place will organise this at no cost to the Trustee. More details are available here: mygov.scot/pvg-scheme

About Duncan Place Community Hub

Duncan Place Community Hub is a registered charity operating as a social enterprise. Through offering a range of inclusive and low-cost community events, we aim to promote well-being, reduce social isolation, and build social connections in Leith and the surrounding areas.

We also provide affordable office space to organisations making a positive social impact in the area, and hourly room hire for local groups, businesses and individuals.

The organisation has grown from the potential demolition of a very tired council owned community centre, to a fully refurbished hub owned by the charity and serving the people of Leith. The income we generate from tenancies and room hire is used to maintain our building, employ our team at the real living wage, and to subsidise our community events. This innovative model means that the charity is financially healthy, has decent reserves and is able to use funds raised to respond to the communities’ needs without the need to rely on short-term funding.

Our Vision, Mission

Our Vision

Our vision is for a happy healthy community where people are welcomed to take part in what we offer.

Our Mission

Our mission is to promote well-being, reduce social isolation, and build social connections in Leith and the surrounding areas.

We do this through

Offering a range of inclusive and low-cost community events and activities covering a wide range of ages and interests.

Providing affordable office space to organisations making a positive social impact in the area, and hourly room hire for local groups, businesses and individuals.

Generating income from tenancies and room hire to maintain our building, employ our team at the real living wage, and to subsidise our community events.

Our Values

Maintaining Duncan Place Community Hub as a welcoming and inclusive space takes kindness and effort from all of us. We thank all building users for sharing in our values and being part of making it such a great space.

Inclusion: We are committed to creating a space and providing services where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and valued.

Community: The people that use our building, our tenants, room-hirers, staff and visitors are central to all that we do. We are proud to be a part of the diverse and exciting community that is Leith. We will continue to build strong relationships within and outside our organisation to support our community.

Diversity: We celebrate the unique backgrounds and experiences of those that use our community hub.

Wellbeing: We prioritise the health and happiness of all hub users and employees. Physical, mental, social, and emotional health are equally important and underpin the decisions we take.

Making a difference: We strive to create a positive impact on the lives of our members, visitors, employees, tenants and the broader community.

Training Details

Current board members and the chief executive of the charity will provide induction and ongoing support. We will support you to access online training for the role of a charity trustee which is available through Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC) and will explore other training opportunities as required and as budget allows.

About Our Board

We are keen to continue developing the organisation by welcoming up to six new Trustees, bringing fresh eyes with a range of skills, experience and perspectives. New Trustees will join our current board of committed and engaged individuals who have been with the charity for between two to six years. Our current chair is reaching the end of their maximum length of service and will be retiring at the next AGM. The board will be appointed at the AGM (18th June) and then, at the first meeting following the AGM, the board themselves will decide on the office bearing roles. Current trustees have skills in organisational management, facilities management, staff support, strategic planning, policy development, treasury skills, funding and more.

Expected Commitment

There are 8-10 in-person board meetings per year. These are currently monthly on a Thursday evening and approx. 1.5-2hrs long. Following a mission and values day last October we will be progressing through our next phase of growth. The frequency of board meetings will be under review with the intention of reducing the number held each year.

Trustees are expected to attend the board meetings and to also join and contribute to sub-groups to oversee ongoing areas of work in line with their interests and/ or organisational need. Depending upon the area of work, the sub-group can be short lived, medium or longer term. The times of the sub-group meetings are flexible and decided by the sub-group members. We hope that potential candidates will commit to a 3-year term of office, but we are realistic and know that ‘life happens!’

The estimated commitment is 4 to 6 hours per month e.g.

• Reading papers in advance of meetings
• Attending and contributing at meetings
• Progressing action points
• Sub-group commitments

Trustees are expected to be confident and self-sufficient in using digital tools, including email, WhatsApp, shared document platforms (such as SharePoint) and video conferencing (teams/ zoom or similar). Board papers and organisational documents are managed digitally; trustees are expected to access these independently using their own device. This means having reliable access to a laptop, tablet, or similar device capable of running a current web browser and accessing cloud-based platforms. A smartphone alone is unlikely to be sufficient for this purpose.

If you have any concerns about meeting these requirements, please contact us to discuss before applying.

Location/Travel Details

Duncan Place Community Hub, 4 Duncan Place, Leith, EH6 8HW

Expenses

Reasonable travel expenses are available. All other expenses must be agreed prior to spending.

Accessibility Details

Disabled parking space available. Ramp access. Accessible loos. Wide corridors and doors. Lift access to upper floors. Please let us know of any reasonable adjustments needed.

What happens next?

Duncan Place is registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) – a type of charity that is run by and for its members. The constitution specifies the recruitment process.

• Potential trustees should complete the form linked below.
• We will then invite you to an info session with some of our current trustees and register you as a member. (Candidates must be registered as Ordinary Members of Duncan Place in order to stand for election).
• We will share some info on potential Trustees with our members.
• At the AGM, potential Trustees stand for election and are voted for by our members.
• The Trustees provide good governance for the charity and leadership to the team of paid staff.
• The staff carry out the day-to-day operations of running the organisation.

Are you an enthusiastic, organised and highly motivated individual with youth work experience and have a passion for motorbikes? Then this post is for you. The position will be fixed term for one year in the first instance.

The successful candidate will be required to work as part of an existing team for a well-established youth Motorcycle Project and full training will be given. We work closely with local schools and youth agencies to provide group work and 1-1 programmes for young people. The Project uses off road motorcycles and group work activities to focus and engage young people. A passion for motorcycles and helping young people is a must for this role.

The Bridge Centre Motorcycle Project (BCMP) is a charitable organisation, operating as a part of The Haddington Bridge Centre Ltd.

The Project was first established in 1990, becoming a full-time charity in 1999.

BCMP works with young people aged from 11 to 25 and is designed to support individuals who have a wide range of additional support needs by using off road motorcycles and team building games/exercises as mediums to engage them. The work is aimed at promoting inclusion and social welfare.

The 3 main types of work at the Project are:

• Group Work Programmes (Educational Support Programmes)
• 1-to-1 Programmes (Individual Placements)
• Open Access Club

BCMP Works with young people individually or in small groups to develop confidence, supporting them to challenge themselves and work towards exciting and achievable goals, while learning new life skills.

The Project works with Secondary Schools and other partnering youth agencies/organisations with the aim of identifying young people who would benefit from taking part in an Educational Support Programme. The Project also works with referred young people who are not suited to participating in group work on a 1-to-1 basis.

In addition, the Project runs an open access club for young people aged 11-16 to join. This part of the Project allows self-referred young people to learn the skills and techniques of off-road motorcycling in a safe environment.

Detailed information about all the Motorcycle projects can be viewed in the full Motorcycle Project Annual Report 2024-2025

We are excited to be offering a full-time youth worker position with the Bridge Centre Motorcycle Project, initially for one year, with extension possible.

Background

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to work with a driven team in one of Scotland’s most well regarded and effective local active travel and bike refurbishing charities.

The Bike Station has been based in the community for over 20 years, with a credible reputation of recycling, refurbishing and reusing donated bikes and making bikes available within the community.

Our communities continue to be under increasing pressure with the cost-of-living crisis and within a climate crisis.

Enabling more people to choose cycling has multiple financial, health and social benefits and the demand for our services has grown in recent years.

We are looking for a confident and strategic Development Manager to build strong relationships and develop services that will significantly enhance their sustainable income.

This role will create and lead our long-term unrestricted income and business opportunities.

Primary Aim

Contribute to the long-term sustainability of The Bike Station by increasing unrestricted income.

Purpose of the role

• Explore and source public giving commercial opportunities in alignment with The Bike Stations strategic objectives.
• Analyse market data to support opportunities for business development with existing and potential clients and provide recommendations to success and routes to increased revenue.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships and relationships developing strong working relationships with key stakeholders, influencing decisions both internally & externally.
• Develop and deliver our commercial income opportunities including our skills development programme, corporate volunteering and public giving campaigns.
• Collaborate with The Bike Stations refurbishing, skills development, community, volunteering and communications teams to ensure strong customer experience .
• Lead on developing messaging, with the support from the Communications Team, to create marketing materials that facilitates expansion of The Bike Stations commercial and giving opportunities.
• Monitor performance against budget and implementing action plans to ensure achievement of budget targets.
• Line manage Volunteer Development Officer and Communications Officer to ensure programmes of activity are well resourced, ensuring high quality with a commitment to continuous improvement and return custom.
• Such other tasks as may be required which are consistent with the duties and responsibilities of the post.

Person Specification

Real experience, aptitude, values, fit with team and a passion for cycling are more important to us than formal qualifications.

That being said this post requires strong business acumen, evidence of successful income generation and a practical and effective approach.

Essential

• Confident, self-motivated and proactive with excellent communication, organisational and people skills.
• An excellent understanding of third sector and commercial business development including charitable trading, grants and contracts.
• Evidence of securing unrestricted income through commercial and public giving campaigns
• An excellent relationship builder with people and professionals from a range of backgrounds and sectors: ideally someone with gravitas and integrity.
• Ability to process complex information, analyse data and articulate it well to a range of audiences and stakeholders.
• Experience of completing financial and resource analyses of opportunities to create sustainable options and lead on creating appropriate plans. This can include options appraisals, business plans, funding assessments.
• Experience of preparing programme budgets including financial reports and cash flow forecasts.
• Ability to problem-solve and design and implement solutions.
• Ability to manage their time effectively, multitask, work on several projects simultaneously with tight timescales.
• Proficient in the use of technology and willing to learn new ways of working as needed.
• An excellent team player and willing to share skills and knowledge with co-workers with experience developing an line managing teams

About Rowan Alba

Rowan Alba is a charity based in Edinburgh dedicated to working alongside people who are marginalised, often experiencing homelessness, substance dependency, poor health and social isolation. We believe in building relationships of trust, offering long-term support, and creating services that empower people to live fulfilling lives within their communities.

Our approach is person-centred, focusing on compassion, dignity and respect. We work collaboratively with statutory and voluntary partners to deliver sustainable solutions that reduce harm and foster connection.

About the CARDS Service

CARDS (Community and Residential Development Service) provides one-to-one volunteer befriending and support for individuals living with long-term effects of alcohol use, many of whom are socially isolated, at risk of poor health outcomes, or living with trauma.

The service’s main goal is to reduce isolation, improve wellbeing, and create meaningful community connections for people who might otherwise fall through gaps in statutory services. Through trained volunteers and specialist support workers, CARDS matches clients with befrienders who provide companionship, practical support, and a safe, non-judgemental relationship.

CARDS works closely with partners in health, community and rehabilitation services to ensure a holistic approach, recognising that clients often have complex needs that require specialist input and ongoing monitoring.

Core Purpose of Job

The Volunteer Co-ordinator will oversee the recruitment, engagement and retention of a volunteer pool sufficient to meet the needs of our service users.

Leading and developing new volunteer streams and enhancing the volunteer experience with a particular emphasis on lived experience, will be the primary focus of this role.

Full details available in the job description below.