Chair volunteer roles in bassetlaw, luton

Aspens are looking for trustees to join us on the next exciting part of our journey. We'd love to hear from you if you have accountancy, social care, business development or fundraising experience.

What will you be doing?

Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of people with learning disabilities and autism? Do you have the skills, experience, and dedication to help guide a forward-thinking charity? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

About Aspens CharitiesAt Aspens we provide high quality care and support to people on the autism spectrum and with learning disabilities; and their families; meeting their needs and aspirations and empowering them to learn and grow through an integrated network of services across the South-East.

Why Become a Trustee?As a Trustee, you will play a vital role in overseeing the governance and strategic direction of Aspens Charities. You will work alongside a committed Board to ensure our services remain impactful, sustainable, and aligned with our core values.

Your Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership, ensuring Aspens meets its charitable objectives.
• Oversee financial management, risk assessment, and compliance with legal and regulatory standards.
• Support and challenge the Executive Team to drive excellence in service delivery.
• Act as an ambassador for Aspens, promoting our work and values.
• Attend Board meetings and contribute to key strategic decisions.

What We’re Looking For:We welcome applications from individuals with diverse professional backgrounds. Key attributes include:

• A strong commitment to the aims and values of Aspens Charities.
• Strategic thinking and decision-making abilities.
• Willingness to dedicate time to Board meetings and governance activities.
• Integrity, good judgment, and the ability to work collaboratively.

We are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in:

• Accountancy
• Health & Social Care sector knowledge
• Fundraising and business development

Time Commitment & LocationThis is a voluntary, unpaid role with reasonable expenses covered. The Board meets approximately three times a year, with 3 committee meetings and occasional additional meetings or events. Meetings are held in person and virtually.

What are we looking for?

• Commitment to the goals and aims of the charity. 
• Dedication to the role and a willingness to devote the required time. 
• The ability to make good independent judgements. 
• Being able to think creatively. 
• Understanding the importance of carrying out required legal duties. 
• Proven strategic abilities that can be used to create effective plans. 
• Strength of character coupled with the ability to voice concerns and opinions.
• Proven experience working as a member of successful teams. 
• Integrity and objectivity which can be applied to all aspects of the role.

Experience of either accountancy or fundraising / income generation. 

What difference will you make?

As a Trustee, your leadership will directly shape the future of Aspens Charities and the lives of the people we support. You will help:

• Improve Quality of Care – Ensuring individuals with learning disabilities and autism receive the best possible support.
• Drive Strategic Growth – Expanding and developing services to reach more people in need.
• Ensure Financial Sustainability – Overseeing resources to secure long-term impact.
• Strengthen Governance – Upholding transparency, compliance, and ethical leadership.

Your expertise will make a lasting difference, creating a more inclusive society where everyone can thrive.

Lay Trustee
Remote based
Approximately 4 to 6 board meetings per year in London
Voluntary, with expenses 

We’re looking for a leader with vision and a passion for the work of the College. We expect that our Trustees play a very important role at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM). 

Decisions made by the Board of Trustees will help set the direction of our charity, play essential role in decision-making and have a major influence on the success of our work. Becoming a trustee is a fantastic way to make a difference for our organisation and our vital work in local communities. 

Trustees are responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction for RCEM and for developing the organisation’s aims, objectives and goals in accordance with governing documents as well as financial, legal and regulatory guidelines. You can find out more about the roles and responsibilities of Trustees on the gov uk website guide called: The Essential Trustee. You can also see more information on our website.

Applications will be by CV and covering letter, via the application button.

Closing date: Midnight on 12 May 2025.
Interview dates: Expected to be held in first week of July 2025.

Lay Advisory Group member (Patient and Public Engagement)
Average of one to two days per month

Are you interested in healthcare? Pathologists are either doctors or scientists who are experts in diagnosing illness and disease together with supporting the treatment of patients throughout their life.  At the Royal College of Pathologists, we have members from 17 diverse pathology specialities working mainly in hospitals and universities across the UK. We regard lay input as essential to our work in setting standards for training and high-quality practice of pathology.

Nominations are invited for one post of the Lay Advisory Group. The successful candidate will be in post for a period of three years in the first instance, within the College’s Lay Advisory Group of volunteer members.

The Lay Advisory Group member is responsible for contributing a lay perspective on matters of importance to the College by working with committees or working groups assigned to oversee or manage specific areas of interest.

Lay members contribute the perspectives of patients, people who use services, experts in related fields of interest, or communities to a committee's work. This means they tend to offer a different point of view from other members on a committee. Lay members usually have a strong understanding of what matters most for people using health services.

AVAILABLE ROLES

We consider lay input as essential to our work, ensuring that we always see our professional activities through the prism of the patient and the public. We are recruiting to fill specific lay roles within the College according to applicants’ background and expertise. We also wish to be able to call on our Lay Advisory Group to advise on ad hoc issues as needed, and to review certain guideline documents.

Public Engagement (1 post)

The focus of this new post will be working with the Corporate and Public Engagement Manager in promoting awareness of College function and its 17 pathology specialties to our target audiences. They will support the development and delivery of public engagement events and activities. There will be opportunities to assist in the review and development of planned resources and materials to support public engagement.

The post-holder will also provide, with other lay members, input to College guidance for the profession.

This post would suit an applicant with a background in public engagement (in health or otherwise), or with experience in the health sector. Experience in patient involvement and engagement would be an advantage as this is an area that the College is looking to develop and expand on over the next few years.

WHAT IS THE COMMITMENT?

• Become familiar with the College, its high-level processes, and the detailed work of specific group(s) or committee(s). This may include occasional attendance at College Council as an observer.
• Through membership of one or more College committees, advise the College Council and provide a lay perspective on College matters, acting as a ‘critical friend’.
• Keep up-to-date with the College’s activities through access to Presidents’ newsletters, The Bulletin and website.
• As needed and by negotiation, provide lay input to ad hoc work as required e.g. to develop a College policy position on specific topics of public concern.
• Horizon scan for issues of possible interest to the College.
• Reporting within the Lay Advisory Group and to the Clinical Director on the lay input to committees with which they are working with and attend 3 annual Lay Advisory Group meetings at the College or online.
• Contribute to an annual report to Council that is submitted in writing by the relevant committee(s) on which they sit.

The closing date for applications is Monday 5th May 2025.

Selection will be by application and interview, and full induction will be given on appointment.

Applications will be considered by a panel comprising a Lay Trustee, Clinical Director of Publishing and Engagement and a relevant subject specialist. An interview (either in person or via tele/video conference) will be arranged to confirm interest, suitability and the role itself.

The panel will make a final decision on appointment to the role.

Lay Member posts are not remunerated, but all expenses are covered. 

We are committed to increasing diversity and inclusion within our organisation, as well as using our voice and platform to help make pathology as a profession more inclusive. This means reflecting critically on issues of diversity and inclusion within all that we do, identifying and taking appropriate actions to reduce inequality, and welcoming challenge.

We welcome applications from anyone regardless of their disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion or socio-economic background.

If you want to make a difference to people living with a mental health condition then we’d love to hear from you!

About us

At The Mental Health Community we use our lived experience to build understanding and support for what it’s like to live and work alongside managing a mental health condition. 

We know that it can be difficult to get, or keep a job if your energy levels, how you’re feeling and your ability to go to a place of work every day are affected by a mental health condition like anxiety or depression. But we also know that having a sense of purpose and belonging can really help with the symptoms and impact that mental health conditions can have on you.

Our work is focused on helping people with a mental health condition who are in work or looking for work. We do this by supporting businesses to improve how they look after people, because we know that by creating inclusive and safe spaces at work we make it possible for people with mental ill health to stay in the workplace which helps keep them well and benefits the businesses too.

By joining our board you will be: 

• Making a lasting impact by helping us make more workplaces safe and inclusive for people with a mental health condition
• Shaping the future of our charity as we expand our services and reach more people who need our support
• Using your skills and experience for good by helping guide the strategic direction of our charity.

What we’re looking for

We are looking for at least 4 new trustees to join our team. Whatever your skillset, we’d love to hear from you and there are some areas where we need particular help:

· Treasurer: oversee our financial health, provide guidance on building long term financial plans to help us grow and ensure appropriate financial management.

· Marketing and Communications: strategic oversight of our marketing and communications, raising awareness of our work and reaching new audiences through digital strategies and media engagement.

· Fundraising: develop our fundraising strategy and income streams, including grant applications, corporate sponsorship and campaigns.

· Governance: guide us in operating transparently and effectively whilst maintaining high standards of governance in compliance with our governing document and charity law.

We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of mental ill health, young people aged 18-30, people of all socio-economic backgrounds, genders and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

About the role

As a board of trustees we meet remotely every 6 weeks, there may be some activity in between meetings so the estimated total time commitment is 4 hours every 6 weeks.

In addition to using your specific skills to develop how we work, all trustees share responsibility for:

· Developing our activities to help us achieve our purpose and positive impact,

· Making sure we are compliant with our governing document and the requirements of the Charity Commission, and

· Being an active member of the board to help us make good decisions

What you can expect from us

We are committed to supporting our Trustees: you can expect an induction to the organisation and trustee role plus any additional conversations and support you need to help you feel confident in your role.

Our meetings are relaxed and informal; there are no expectations of ‘business clothes’, technical jargon or having all the answers.

We welcome and support your preferences for the way we work together, how you like to receive information and how we can make it easier for you to participate actively in our discussions.

One more thing

We know that great trustees come from many backgrounds and with a variety of experiences and that’s great - we really value people who bring different perspectives and add new voices to our team.

But you might not feel you ‘check all the boxes’ as you read this advert or the role description, especially if you’ve been marginalised or excluded. We get it, and we’ve felt like that too. But we hope you’ll apply anyway because we’d love to hear from you and will take care to help you feel welcome and included.

For more information on the role please see the role description.

This is an exciting time in our growth as we look to grow our governance systems, build on our successes and ensure we are a radical, dynamic organisation rooted in our anti-racist and anti-oppressive values.  We are looking for a new Treasurer for our Trustee board, to join us and help lead and shape the future of the organisation.