Role Summary

The Robert Burns Ellisland Trust (RBET) seeks a highly skilled Project Manager to lead the Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne project, delivering significant conservation and adaptation works at Ellisland Museum and Farm. The post is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to players of the National Lottery and South of Scotland Enterprise.

Introduction

The Robert Burns Ellisland Trust (RBET) safeguards the 1788 farm designed and built by the poet Robert Burns on the banks of the Nith near Dumfries. The A listed steading is the best preserved of all the poet’s homes, the only one he built, and the place where he wrote a quarter of his musical output, including the international anthem to friendship, Auld Lang Syne. The farmstead sits in 140 acres comprising woodland and fields which were first enclosed by Burns himself. RBET is a membership Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation with a volunteer board of Trustees formed in 2020, although the site itself has been held in trust since 1928. It is located six miles north of Dumfries off the A76. It is an accredited museum, with seasonal opening, holding events and group visits off-season, depending on capacity. A small team of volunteers maintain the grounds and riverside walks for free public enjoyment all year.

The Robert Burns Ellisland Trust’s charitable purpose is as follows:

To hold the lands and farm of Ellisland, and such other funds and assets as may from time to time be comprised in the Trust Property, in trust for the following purposes:

(a) the advancement of education

(b) the advancement of the arts, heritage and culture

(c) the promotion of the life and works of Robert Burns

(d) to maintain a museum and collections for the benefit of the public

The Robert Burns Ellisland Trust Mission Statement is as follows:

“Ellisland is the place to fall in love with Burns. We will increase awareness of Ellisland as central to the artistic development of Robert Burns in poetry and romantic song. We will enhance understanding of the site as the best place to see the natural world through the poet’s eyes. We will create a world class visitor experience and a vibrant centre for creative learning to ensure the unique collection, buildings and landscape are accessible to a diverse range of modern audiences.”

Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne

In September 2024, our trust secured the offer of a development stage grant of up to £489,206 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne. In November 2024 we were awarded up to £313,000 from South of Scotland Enterprise towards the project. We expect to receive Permission to Start by January 2025. The development stage of the project is costed at £945,000 while the full cost after delivery and re-opening is £7.4m, which includes start up activity costs.

Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne intends to bring the spirit of Burns – love, kindness and equality – into the 21st century and widen access to Ellisland with a vibrant programme of events, activities and artist residencies. We will restore the 1788 cottage, creating an immersive visitor experience, and develop a gallery/museum to display the collection, which is at risk in the deteriorating buildings. Our barn will be sensitively adapted as a Centre for Song, so future generations are inspired by Burns’s “sweet poetic ground.” We will increase visitor numbers and develop new income streams to protect the built heritage, collection and outdoor spaces, including woods, paths and fields created by Burns. This will increase economic prosperity in South Scotland and enhance wellbeing with skills training, jobs and volunteering opportunities.

A full brief can be downloaded below.

About the Company

“St Andrew’s First Aid is a long-standing charity formed in 1882 as St Andrew’s Ambulance Association by doctors and businessmen in Glasgow who showed concern for the number injuries during the rapid growth of industrial cities.

As Scotland’s leading first aid charity, St Andrew’s First Aid has an impressive country-wide network of First Aiders ready to provide support at hundreds of events. The organisation aims to provide the highest standards of first aid and to share their knowledge through training and education to the public.

In addition to providing first aid services, the charity also runs a number of projects aimed at building strong and safer communities in Scotland. With the Scottish Government they aim to equip 500,000 people with CPR skills, increasing the number of bystanders to help in an emergency thereby increasing the number of survivors.”

To learn more about St Andrew’s First Aid, please visit firstaid.org.uk

The Role

As Volunteer Development Officer, you will be responsible for many aspects of volunteer development such as recruitment, induction, training, retention, motivation and engagement. Reporting to the Head of Volunteer Development, your main responsibilities will include:

• Promote volunteering within the organisation
• Plan, organise and monitor volunteering activities to deliver St Andrew’s First Aid’s charitable aims
• Learning and development
• Manage volunteer conduct, addressing problems with performance and ensuring the quality of services are upheld by volunteers
• Promote productive working relationships between volunteers and other stakeholders
• Organise events involving volunteers such as meetings, seminars, forums, internal conferences, promotional events and social events
• Deal with conflict, volunteer conduct issues to mediate and resolve
• To represent the organisation as appropriate at meetings of relevant external stakeholders/organisations/partners
• Support the team in ad hoc administration duties.

The full range of tasks can be viewed in the attached job description. This job description describes the practical purpose and main elements of the job. Its sole purpose is to act as a guide to the nature and main duties of the job as they exist currently, but is not intended as a wholly comprehensive or permanent schedule.

In addition to the duties highlighted, the organisation operates a flexible approach to its activities and the post holder may accordingly be called upon to undertake any other duties from time to time as circumstances warrant.

An element of unsocial hours will be required to be undertaken.

Requirements

This role would best suit an individual with a passion for and experience of volunteering or working in the third sector, or any other relevant experience.

The ideal person will be very people-orientated, pro-active and flexible, empathic, creative, persuasive, resourceful and imaginative.

You’ll be someone who is a real team player who can easily fit in with a diverse team of people. You’ll be outgoing, friendly with good communication skills and be able to fit in wherever the job takes you.

If you have any questions about this role or the organisation please contact stewart.simpson@firstaid.org.uk.

This is a senior post within The Scottish Civic Trust reporting to the Director.

Main purpose:

To oversee the day-to-day running of finance function with responsibility for all aspects of management accounting (including all necessary reconciliations), cash management, budgeting and forecasting, and administration of all payroll matters.

The post will provide support to the Director on finance matters ensuring that information and advice is available to support strategic decision making.

The Finance Manager will also be expected to contribute, and sometimes lead on, relationships with tenants within The Tobacco Merchant’s House and premises management.

Management of the Administration Officer is also a key aspect of this role.

Street Connect is a Christian organisation with a mission to offer hope and opportunity of recovery for people disadvantaged by addiction, homelessness and poor mental health.

As a Projects Worker you can contribute to profound and lasting changes in the lives of highly vulnerable individuals. In 2023/24 working with our church partners, Street Connect benefitted over 2,166 people overall with 806 people receiving support through one-to-one appointments or groupwork, with 160 of those individuals receiving formal key work support, and we supported 16 entries to residential rehabilitation. Our participants report stability and improvements not only in their recovery from drug and alcohol problems, but also in their living skills and situations, social skills and relationships, and in their physical, mental and spiritual health and wellbeing.

The focal point of the role of Projects Worker will be in supporting church partners and volunteers. Our experience has shown us that working closely with partner churches to deliver support within communities is a successful way for people to access the support that they need. We currently have Street Connect partner churches and projects in Glasgow city centre, Royston, Clydebank, Paisley central, Paisley Kilnside, Greenock, Motherwell, Dunoon and Wishaw. As we continue our vital work in each of these areas our aim is to grow into new communities and allow as many people as possible to access the support they need.

In this role you will be part of the Street Connect team seeking to develop and deliver community recovery support through a range of different routes to both male and female service participants who have a background of complex needs such as addiction, homelessness, and mental health issues, who are now at different stages in their recovery journey. This will include both those in aftercare who are living independently and free from such issues and those at an earlier stage in their recovery.