The Ecology Centre is looking for a Chair to lead our community and environmental charity in collaboration with the Board of Trustees. We are looking for an individual to join our dedicated and expanding Board of Trustees to ensure effective strategic oversight and governance of the charity in line with our mission, vision and values. If you might be the right fit for our charity, we’d love to hear from you.

About Us:

The Ecology Centre’s vision is to connect people and nature for the sustainable wellbeing of both. We aim to provide a welcoming, safe and green space for communities to connect with each other and celebrate the joy of nature. We foster connections between people and the environment through environmental education for all and provide benefit to community, health and wellbeing.

What we are looking for:

We are looking for an individual who shares our values and who brings suitable commercial acumen and leadership skills to drive strategic growth and effective governance. As Chair of the Board of Trustees, you will play a critical role in designing and overseeing the strategic direction of our charity in collaboration with the Board of Trustees and General Manager. You will act as Chair to a close-knit, committed Board of Trustees, ensuring robust financial oversight, governance and innovation. We are looking for an individual who can help to bring our mission and vision to life and who can oversee the effective commercial management of the charity. Proven leadership experience within the charity sector is preferred but we are open to hearing from any individuals who can bring a proven track-record and understanding of leadership and financial management and who fits our values. Key responsibilities will include:

Providing strategic leadership to the charity in collaboration with the Board of Trustees

Guiding the short and long-term strategic development of the charity

Assuring and strengthening effective governance, including effective controls and monitoring of financial health, risk management and legal compliance

Building strong relationships with key stakeholders (in the community and beyond) to establish best practice sharing and an effective fundraising strategy

Managing a collaborative and inclusive culture at all levels of the charity and working closely with the Board of Trustees, General Manager and management team to ensure a thriving charity in line with our values.

We are currently recruiting for a one year fixed term maternity cover for the role of Communications Manager. This role offers an exciting opportunity for an ambitious Communications Manager to work as part of a team of changemakers within a knowledgeable, supportive, and collaborative organisation.

The role

This role offers an exciting opportunity for an ambitious Communications Manager to work as part of a team of changemakers within a knowledgeable, supportive, and collaborative organisation.

You will support Sniffer’s strategy by leading and developing our approach to communications at an organisational level and across a portfolio of projects and programmes that address climate justice, vulnerability and inequality. Our medium-term focus is on climate resilience, and longer term we are pursuing a broader agenda of transformational change in response to a range of environmental and social challenges.

About Sniffer

Sniffer is a catalyst, helping communities, organisations and places, and collaborating across sectors to support transformation towards a flourishing and fairer future for all in a changing climate.

Working at Sniffer involves being part of a collaborative and social team, with a strong focus on employee wellbeing, opportunity to develop and explore your own innovative ideas, and with great shared office space at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, and Civic House in central Glasgow. At an exciting time in Sniffer’s development as an organisation, with a rebrand nearing completion, and a growing portfolio of projects, we are seeking to recruit a Communications Manager who will create compelling communications plans and content to increase the visibility of Sniffer’s impact and its programmes.

Sniffer Benefits

· Annual Leave – 35 days annual leave (including public holidays)

· Flexible Working – we will consider flexible working hours and hybrid working

· Company Sick Pay

· Pension scheme with Sniffer matching employee contributions up to 6% of salary

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).

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

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.