Mental Health Volunteer Roles

Multilingual Support Volunteer - make a difference in a day during a half term and/or weekend

Date: 

Workshops will take place during the half term or weekends. The dates for these workshops will be confirmed in the new year  as workshop dates are decided closer to the time. We have provisional dates where the workshops will fall into. These dates are:

Monday 17th-Friday 21st of February 2025
Monday 7 April - Monday 21 April 2025
Monday 26 May - Friday 30 May 2025

Volunteers can be made aware of ad hoc sessions from now until August 2025

Location: Within community centres; Ealing, Greenford and Northolt (West London)

Address: TBC

Timings: Most likely 10am-1pm

Volunteers: up to 6 volunteers

Who will see the difference? Family members of children and young people receiving mental health support 

We have a new pilot project aiming to support the referral of young people into Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) with a focus on early intervention, particularly within BAME communities. Our goal is to raise awareness of mental health among young people while identifying barriers to accessing mental health support. We collaborate with children, young people, and their families in the community to empower them to discuss mental health openly and seek support when needed. As link workers, we engage with BAME communities, including Punjabi, Somali, and Arab populations, by delivering workshops and focus groups within the community. We work closely with parents, offering workshops to help them support both themselves and their children. Through these sessions, we’ve identified that some attendees need language support. To ensure that everyone benefits from our workshops, we provide assistance to parents for whom English is not the first language, enabling them to fully engage with the content in their first language. By offering this support, you will help make a meaningful difference for those who might otherwise feel excluded.  

The volunteering activity:

We will require support with;

•    Putting in a MS meeting beforehand so that we can go through anything you want to talk about/discuss with us 
•    Answering any questions that the participants may have 
•    Sitting with individuals who need support in the session
•    Finding ways in which we can support you after the workshop  

Key considerations:

Ability to translate from English to one or more of the following languages noted below.  We aim to create a welcoming environment where both parents and volunteers feel comfortable and supported. It's important to us that parents can express themselves in their native language and feel safe and heard. If you share this vision and would like to be part of this effort, please reach out.

These are the languages we need support with to translate:

Languages for translation

Somali

Hindi

Arabic

Polish

Punjabi

Gujarati

This is a one off volunteering role where you can make a difference in as little as half a day or multiple half day shifts.

Exact dates and locations of shifts to be decided in the New Year. 

Next steps:

Please complete our application form via our website outlining your skills and qualities for the activity and sign up to the activity via your volunteering profile (opportunities tab) to confirm your attendance.

In-person Bristol Based quarterly Meetings,

(estimated 1 day per month of time)

Second Step is a leading mental health Charity that’s been putting mental health first for people in Bristol and the South West for over 30 years. They were founded on the firm belief that with the right support, everyone can take control of their life and make their future their own.

Working alongside the NHS, local authorities and other agencies, Second Step offers practical help and emotional support tailored to each individual. Their services are recovery and strengths-based, and psychologically and trauma-informed. They work within the mental health, homelessness and recovery sectors, supporting people with moderate to serious mental health issues and those living with multiple disadvantages and complex needs. Second Step aims to enable their clients to build resilience and self-agency, by developing self-management skills and peer support systems. This results in reduced mental health inequalities and promotes inclusion in communities.

Their mission is to promote mental health and wellbeing by supporting people and communities to build brighter futures. They have ambitious plans for the future, having already been appointed as Lead Partner on Bristol City Council’s inspiring Changing Futures programme. To assist with the delivery of their strategic objectives, they’re seeking a Trustee to join their Board.

This is an exciting opportunity for a rewarding and influential role within the organisation. The Trustees will help determine the organisational strategy and future direction, while ensuring their decisions are well-founded. The Board is responsible for ensuring appropriate business plans and financial budgets are in place, while complying with statutory and financial regulations. They make sure that Second Step is well governed and will monitor performance against set objectives.

The successful candidates will have experience in strategic decision-making, ideally from a senior management position, they are hoping to hear from individuals with experience in:

Either:

· Mental health delivery at a senior strategic/operational level.

Or:

· Organisation development currently working at a senior strategic level in a medium to large-sized organisation.

Knowledge of governance arrangements in the non-profit and Charity sector is highly desirable, as is the ability to form strong relationships with stakeholders and partners. The Trustees will share the values and ethos of Second Step and be committed to helping others through mental health support.  Motivational individuals, who can inspire others to deliver to vision of Second Step

For further details and to apply, please contact Leighann Beck quoting the applicable reference number: MC2527 Closing date: 16th February 2025.

Career Talk Volunteer - make a difference in a day by inspiring the future of your peers during a half term and/or weekend!

Date: 

Workshops with children and young people take place during the half term or weekends. The dates for these workshops will be confirmed in the new year  as workshop dates are decided closer to the time. We have provisional dates where the workshops will fall into. These dates are:

Monday 17th-Friday 21st of February 2025
Monday 7 April - Monday 21 April 2025
Monday 26 May - Friday 30 May 2025

Volunteers can be made aware of ad hoc sessions from now until August 2025

Location: Within community centres; Ealing, Greenford and Northolt (West London)

Address: Current places we are delivering workshops include: 

- Viking community centre, UB5 6HW
- The circle café, South Ealing, W5 4QA
- 13th (Southall) Sikh Scouts Allenby Rd, UB1 2HL

Timings: Most likely 10am-1pm

Volunteers: up to 3 volunteers

Who will see the difference? Children and young people with mental health support needs attending our workshops and young volunteers participating and growing their confidence through presenting and talking about their career journey. 

Our Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Link Worker pathway team are conducting a pilot project from June 2024-August 2025. The aim of this project is to raise awareness on mental health and CAMHS, and aiming to understand the barriers to seeking mental health support. We work with children, young people and their families within the community to empower them to discuss mental health and seek support if needed. Through our focus groups so far, we have learnt that young people feel inspired by stories of others from similar backgrounds. The children and young people we currently work with are interested in hearing what other young people have gone on to do post-secondary school, college or sixth form as this can inspire and encourage them to aim high. We have found a need in young people wanting to hear about career development and how people from their background have overcome hurdles in their lives. Therefore, we encourage applications from the Somali, South Asian, Arab communities.

The volunteering activity:

We will require support with;

• Hearing your career development story
• Putting in a MS meeting beforehand so that we can go through anything you want to talk about/discuss with us
• Creating the volunteers' section of the PowerPoint presentation for your career development story presentation
• Answering any questions that the young people may have
• Understanding ways in which we can support you after the workshop 

Key considerations:

We would like to recruit volunteers with lived experience of mental health. The volunteers can share as much or as little as they feel comfortable with during the workshops. We encourage them to share their stories as it can support with others seeing the progress they have made and using their stories as inspiration. We encourage a supportive debrief at the end and support with any distress that may be triggered through presenting about your experience. 

We would particularly encourage applications from volunteers:

•    With a BAME background, Black African/Caribbean/Black British, South Asian, Arab, Other
•    With lived experience of mental health and have sought support e.g. counselling, therapy, CAMHS etc.
•    Willing to talk about their career development after secondary school/sixth form/college 
•    Ideally approximately 16-25 years’ old for relatability to the young people as peers

This is a one off volunteering role where you can make a difference in as little as half a day or multiple half day shifts.

Exact dates and locations of shifts to be decided in the New Year. 

Next steps:

Please complete our application form via our website outlining your skills and qualities for the activity and sign up to the activity via your volunteering profile (opportunities tab) to confirm your attendance

Amazing, giving, inspiring and awesome are just a few of the words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

We are looking for Volunteer Café Assistants to support our John Hall Wellness Gardens in Leek. You will be based at our new Café and, ideally, you will be able to commit 4 hours per week to volunteering.

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. 

About the service

John Hall Gardens is a Community Education Garden & Café green space for the community of Leek, local schools, colleges, and social enterprises. With the aim of enabling the local community to work/learn and socialise with people with mental and physical health support needs. This includes adults of all ages and children and young people.

Assisting the Café Supervisor and your fellow volunteers, you will play an integral part of John Hall Wellness Garden’s future, by helping to deliver a café experience for the general public, Friends of the Garden, and guests.  If you think you can make a difference and commit some time on a regular on-going basis, we would love to hear from you!

This is a great opportunity to develop your current existing skills, learn new skills and network with other volunteers. We welcome anyone wishing to gain experience or have an interest in going into the hospitality sector.

What you will be doing as a Volunteer Café​ Assistant

You will have the opportunity to assist with food preparation, presentation, cleaning and serving/selling high quality food and beverages.

Under the guidance of the Café Supervisor, you, together with other volunteers will ensure that the Café is compliant with all relevant health and safety legislation and pursuing an outstanding performance and food hygiene rating.

In addition, there will be further opportunities to support activity groups in the café, special events and input into event and menu planning.

The main tasks volunteer café assistants will support with are:

• Support Café staff, other volunteers and trainees in the smooth day to day running of the Café.
• Carry out basic catering tasks including food preparation, cleaning and serving food to customers.
• Operate the coffee machine (full training will be provided).
• Handle cash or card transactions and operate the till.
• Work with the Café Supervisor to ensure relevant paperwork is completed and checks are carried out ensuring compliance against relevant food safety and health and safety policies and procedures.
• Ensure kitchen area and Café are clean and tidy (including equipment, walls, floors, tables, work surfaces), and waste is discarded safely.
• Provide good customer service, dealing with visitors and customers in a friendly and polite manner.

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• Eagerness to learn and train in all aspects of the café catering operation
• Cheerful nature, good interpersonal skills, can communicate confidently with a range of people of all ages
• Good customer care service skills

Although this is not essential - you may also have:

• Basic food safety knowledge or HACCP. Further training, will be provided including allergens
• Experience in food handling and basic preparation of foods

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”

We welcome applications from everyone, applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning+ (LGBTQ+), people with a disability, or those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are actively encouraged to apply. We are proud to have also been awarded Disability Confident employer status. We have an ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation and we recognise there is more to do in ensuring our recruitment is fair and inclusive, which is why we are recruiting new roles in helping us to achieve this.

Tenterden Mindfulness was established in 2015 by GP Dr Neil Pillai, and became a registered charity in 2018. The aims of the charity are to support the well-being of our local community and beyond throughout the South East, through the evidence-based practice of Mindfulness.

Over five hundred people including members of the public, teachers, NHS staff and school children have already benefited from Tenterden Mindfulness courses.

We are currently seeking to recruit up to two additional trustees to help support the expansion of the services that we are able to offer, thereby increasing the number of Trustees to nine. One of the new appointments should have experience and expertise in fund raising, especially the making of successful grant applications. Knowledge of Marketing through social media would also be a distinct advantage, as well as being computer-literate.

Prospective candidates should have time and enthusiasm and a desire to work with the other Trustees to oversee the charity in its aim of supporting mental well-being in the community. The trustee role is unpaid.

If you are a person with a belief in the positive benefits of Mindfulness practice, and with energy and vision that would help our charity move into the next stages of our development you might wish to consider joining us as one of the new trustees.

If you would like to apply for one of these posts, please email our Tenterden Mindfulness Administrator no later than 15th January 2025 with your CV and a supporting letter outlining your reasons for applying.

Are you a parent, grandparent or have experience of caring for children?

Do you have 2-3 hours per week to spare? Use your experience to support a family facing challenging times.

Our Home-Visiting Service supports families who are experiencing difficulties or suffering stress and who have at least one child under the age of five years.

Our aims are:

To increase the confidence and independence of the family by:

Offering support, friendship and practical assistance

Visiting families in their own homes and in their community, where the dignity and identity of each adult and child can be respected and protected

Reassuring parents that difficulties in bringing up children is not unusual and encouraging them to enjoy family life.

Developing a relationship with the family in which time can be shared and understanding can be developed. This approach is flexible to take account of different needs.

Encouraging parents’ strengths and emotional wellbeing – for the ultimate benefit of their children.

Encouraging families to widen their network of relationships, and to effectively use the support and services available within the community.

Join the Board of this leading charity delivering vital substance use, mental health and well-being services across the UK, and help provide high-quality, person-centred care to people affected by addiction.

Time commitment: The equivalent of a day a month

Who we are.

Via is an exceptional charity that puts people at the heart of everything we do. Over three decades, we’ve evolved from our origins as Westminster Drug Project, with a new name and brand, into a dynamic, multi-service organisation delivering vital support across substance use, mental health, employment, sexual health, smoking cessation and youth services. With a turnover of £36m for 24/25 and remarkable growth of over a third in 2023/24, we’re now supporting over 10,000 service users annually across an expanding geographical footprint from London to Gloucestershire.

Our commitment to excellence and innovation is evident in our industry-leading 26% successful treatment completion rate, significantly above the national average. In 2023, We’re particularly proud to be pioneering the development of the UK’s first women-only detox facility, demonstrating our commitment to addressing crucial gaps in service provision.

The opportunity.

As we have experienced growth and are launching our new strategy, a number of our Trustees will come to the end of their terms in the next 18 months we are keen to build on their legacy and succession plan. Initially, we’re looking for three new exceptional trustees to join our Board during this exciting period of growth and innovation. We’re particularly interested in individuals who can bring expertise in:

• Finance & Accountancy: We’re seeking an experienced finance professional to join our board and, in time, chair our Finance & Resources Committee when our current chair of the committee, Richard Paul comes to the end of his term later this year. You’ll bring senior-level financial expertise, strong analytical skills, and the ability to provide strategic financial oversight during a period of significant organisational growth. Experience of charity finance would be advantageous but is not essential.
• Clinical Professional with experience in addiction: We’re looking for a clinician, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, with experience in addiction to join our board. This trustee will subsequently chair our Service Delivery & Governance Committee when our current committee chair, Raj Boyjoonauth completes his term at the end of 2024. You’ll bring deep understanding of clinical governance, quality assurance, and service development in addiction treatment settings.
• Business Development: Our third trustee will bring commercial acumen and business development expertise to support our continued growth. You’ll have experience in developing and implementing growth strategies, ideally in health, social care, or related sectors. We’re particularly interested in individuals who understand both commercial imperatives and social impact, and can help us think strategically about sustainable growth while maintaining service quality. This person could bring experience in the charity or commercial sectors.

What Makes a Great Via Trustee

The ideal Via Trustee brings not just expertise but a passion for improving lives and reducing inequalities. You’ll be someone who understands the complexity of our work yet can think strategically about our future. We need individuals who can both support and constructively challenge, bringing fresh perspectives while respecting the expertise of our staff and service users.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

Diversity in governance isn’t just a goal for Via – it’s a necessity. Our services support people from every part of society, and we want our Board to reflect this diversity. We actively encourage applications from people with lived experience of addiction/recovery (whether personal or as family members/carers), and people from communities currently underrepresented at board level.

Time Commitment

The Board meets quarterly, usually in person. Trustees join one sub-committee, which also meets quarterly, usually online. Including preparation time, representation at events, and strategic input, we estimate a commitment of the equivalent of a day a month. This includes:

• Four Board meetings per year
• Quarterly committee meetings
• Annual strategy and away day
• Occasional representation at events and meetings with key stakeholders, including at services.

We understand many trustees balance this role with other commitments. Board and committee meetings are scheduled well in advance to help with planning.

Making a Difference Together

This is an extraordinary time to join Via. As we implement our new 2025-29 strategy and expand our geographical reach, innovate our evidence-based offer and increase access to more people. We’re not just growing – we’re evolving. You’ll help shape innovative services like our women’s detox facility while ensuring we maintain our unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and person-centred care.

Please click 'Apply’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Treasures Foundation supports vulnerable women recovering from addiction, trauma, mental health and the criminal justice system. We are looking for a committed and enthusiastic Trustee Treasurer to join our board of Trustees.

Role summary

•    To ensure that Treasures Foundation works in line with its governing documents and ethos, putting the needs of the beneficiaries at the forefront.
• To safeguard the good name and values of Treasures.
•  To promote decisions and take action to help support the financial stability of Treasures.
• Committed to ensuring highest standards of governance in policies and practice related to employee relations, recruitment, retention, reward and recognition as well as staff and trustee development.
• Ensure long-term strategic oversight of the organisation’s personnel and staffing requirements in relation to the overarching goals of the charity.

Main responsibilities

• Present financial reports to the board in a format that helps the board understand the charity’s financial position
• Advise the board on how to carry out its financial responsibilities
• Work with professional advisors
• Oversee the preparation and scrutiny of annual accounts
• Spot check finances

Time commitment and location

The board meet once, every three months for 2 hours. Any other involvement would add up to about 8 hours per month. The meetings take place virtually on zoom. In addition to the minimum commitment you may like to be part of working groups that look at particular areas for example budgeting. There is always opportunity for you to work more intimately with the charity too.

What impact will you have?

We are an ambitious, growing organisation. Helping women change their lives is at the heart of what we do and are successful at. You will be contributing to

It’s a very exciting time to be a trustee of Treasures; everything the trustees do or get involved in will have a great impact on the organisation and everyone’s contribution makes a difference to our beneficiaries. You will also have the opportunity to attend courses, join networking events and meet our funders.

The Mental Health Recovery Pathway (MHRP) service provides day service opportunities for people with low and medium Preventative Care Needs.

We are currently looking to offer volunteering placements with our Mental Health Recovery Pathway (MHRP) – a mental health provision based across three sites in Islington responding to the mental health needs of Islington residents.

You will be assisting service users who experience mental distress in group settings.

We ask for a commitment of at least 1 day a week 10:15am – 4:00pm for a full year (+ about 2-3 months for DBS check and induction), though there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer more than one day a week.

If this sounds interesting and suitable to you, please complete the MHRP volunteer application form and return with your CV, indicating why are you interested in volunteering for Islington Mind, if there is anything specific that you would like to do in your volunteering placement – e.g. facilitate activities, support our open access drop-in sessions, support service users with completing forms, accompany service users to appointments etc, and your availability – e.g. one or more days a week and which days of the week you are available.

The Structured Intervention Support (SIS) service offers support for people with high and complex needs.

You will be assisting service users who experience mental distress in one-to-one settings:
-help to resettle in the community on discharge from hospital
-help to develop strategies to improve their quality of life and reduce their dependence on statutory services
-provide personalised key work support to enable people with complex mental health needs progress and maintain independent living.

We are looking for volunteers who can support people with activities for a minimum of 1 day per week. Activities such as:

-Escorting people to appointments/outings/activities or events
-Organisational and administrative tasks – help with budgeting; understanding/applying for welfare benefits; letter writing and form filling; arranging activities/appointments; planning the use of other services such as shopping.
-Supporting people to maintain their homes – reporting/organising repairs; organising a move; signposting and referring to services and activities.
-Ad-hoc support

As a Communications Volunteer, you will help with the administration of our team newsletter NEWSROUND and our social channels. Additionally, you will support with the facilitation of our internal events. You will support the Communications Manager to communicate the great work we are doing to promote Equality, Diversity and Identity, both internally and externally.

Amazing, giving, inspiring and awesome are just a few of the words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

We are looking for Single Point of Access Volunteers to support our Derbyshire Recovery and Peer Support Service (DRPSS). You will be based at The Croft in Ripley and, ideally, you will be able to commit up to 4 hours per week to volunteering.

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. You can read more about the benefits of volunteering on the full advert on our website.

About the service

We support people who are having difficulties with their mental health by offering targeted goal-focused support, developing peer support and volunteer opportunities across Derbyshire, and also peer support groups.

We offer

• Targeted support through one-to-one and group sessions.
• Self-help and peer support
• Telephone support
• Advice and information on mental illness. 
• Recovery education
• Social activities in the local community
• Signposting to other sources of community and specialist support

Our Single Point of Access is open from 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday

What you will be doing as a Single Point of Access Volunteer

• Help organise and file documents for the DRPSS service
• Provide basic advice, guidance and telephone support via SPOA line
• Offer signposting and referral options as required
• Upload documents to our systems
• Follow up on ‘On Hold’ referrals, updating information as required 
• Help to respond to emails and organise the DRPSS outlook inbox
• Provide updates to those individuals currently on a waiting list for service

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• Excellent communication skills 
• Basic IT Knowledge
• Able to relate to people from all backgrounds and the ability to remain non-judgmental
• Understanding the importance of confidentiality
• Organisational skills
• Good local knowledge of mental health support

Who are we? 

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”     

It is an exciting time to join our growing charity. We are on a transformation journey, one that supports the delivery of the organisation strategy – delivering Communities that Care. Supporting employees, managers and leaders through this change is a key priority for the People function. Just like its key that we attract diverse people to come and work for us.     

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion   

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic and our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.   

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation   

We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrate our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.   

We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning), Intersex and (asexual) (LGBTQIA+), people with a disability, and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.  

Your role

Amazing, giving, and inspiring are just a few of the words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

Peer volunteering is an opportunity for people who have themselves used mental health services, to volunteer and support other people currently using mental health services.

As a Peer Support Volunteer, you will provide additional support to our Peer Support Workers by assisting them with administration tasks and supporting with online group sessions.

This will be based in the Ashford (Kent) area.

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. You can read more about the benefits of volunteering on the full advert on our website where you will also find a copy of the role description.

About the service

The East Kent Peer Support Service team is dedicated to delivering a high-quality service that focuses on supporting individuals to achieve goals. The aim is to improve the lives and support independence for those living with a mental illness. The team will engage with other local providers to ensure a clear and seamless pathway for those that require support from multiple providers.

What you will be doing as a Peer Support Volunteer

· Speaking to service users by empathising with them about the difficulties that having a mental health problem can create

· Helping with administration duties

· Telephone calls

· Explaining the services that are on offer and how these can be accessed

· Putting people who are anxious at ease by welcoming them to the service

· Helping to set up an online group

What will make you a great fit for this role?

· You will have lived experience of mental illness

· Ability to empathise with others

· Good communication skills

· Reliable and punctual

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”

We welcome applications from everyone, applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning+ (LGBTQ+), people with a disability, or those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are actively encouraged to apply. We are proud to have also been awarded Disability Confident employer status. We have an ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation and we recognise there is more to do in ensuring our recruitment is fair and inclusive, which is why we are recruiting new roles in helping us to achieve this.

Bridewell is a mental health charity using gardening and working in nature to support people recovering from serious mental ill health. From a walled garden and vineyard in West Oxfordshire, Bridewell provides the time and space for people to find hope in recovery.

About the Role – Trustee responsibilities

The Board of Trustees has collective responsibilities:

• To agree a clear and focussed strategy for Bridewell;
• To monitor progress against the strategy and agreed plans;
• To make sure Bridewell meets its legal and financial obligations as a registered charity;
• To make sure Bridewell is financially stable and spending its funds in line with its charitable objectives;
• To approve and monitor the implementation of Bridewell’s policies and procedures.

Each trustee:

• brings their own experience and areas of expertise
• acts as an ambassador for the organisation helping to promote Bridewell’s work
• shares Bridewell’s values: hope in recovery, the importance of structure and routine, the power of community

We are recruiting for up to 3 new trustees.

As a trustee of Bridewell you will:

• have an understanding of the impact serious mental illness can have on peoples’ lives
• have an understanding or interest in the role of mental health services
• have knowledge or interest in the voluntary sector and of the role of a trustee (previous trustee experience is not required)
• have a commitment to Bridewell’s work, the values of the organisation and its charitable objectives
• have an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of being a trustee
• demonstrate integrity and good, independent judgement

Specific Skills

We are looking for trustees who can strengthen Bridewell’s board of trustees in one or more of these areas:

• Broadening the skills on our Board – knowledge of charity leadership, finance, fundraising, operations, service delivery
• Representing our wider community – applications welcome from people in their early career with no board experience
• Representing our wider community – trustees with experience of mental illness (personal experience or supporting others)
• Succession planning – trustees with the interest and aptitude to be a future Chair or Vice Chair of Trustees

To apply

A CV and supporting statement should be sent to Bridewell. 

Please include in your statement why you are motivated to apply for this role and how you meet the skills and experience we are looking for.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to meet staff and the Chair of Trustees and to visit the Recovery Service in January-February 2025