Share Community is recruiting new trustees. We are a charity based in Wandsworth and Lambeth, and work with adults with learning disabilities and autism. We are particularly keen to recruit trustees who are from minoritised ethnic backgrounds, and who have expertise in HR and/or Finance.
Share supports adults with learning disabilities and autism to live happier, healthier and more independent lives. We provide a range of programmes and accredited training courses aimed at improving our students’ physical and mental health and wellbeing and developing their independent living skills.
We were founded in 1972 and now work from four sites in south London. We have two training centres in Clapham and Brixton, a garden in Tooting and have just started to run a free food distribution programme for local people in Kennington – where our students will cook hundreds of meals each week for people affected by the increased cost of living.
You don’t have to have previous experience of being a trustee and will be buddied up with an existing trustee as part of your induction programme. To find out more please read the full trustee role description, or get in touch with Michele Noakes, HR Manager, at Share: michelen@sharecommunity.org.uk.
About us
The story of Share began in 1972, when a group of disabled people came together as a self-help group to improve employment and training opportunities for disabled people. Over the years, Share has grown and evolved, responding to changing needs and opportunities.
Last year, we appointed a new Chief Executive, and we now have a new three-year strategy the delivery of which will help us achieve our mission of providing a safe, empowering and progressive experience where disabled adults can develop their skills, wellbeing and purpose to enable them to live happier, healthier and more independent lives.
We principally support people from south west London, with the majority of our students coming from Wandsworth and Lambeth. In this financial year, we will spend c. £1.7m to provide support to around 140 individuals and their parents and carers.
Our vision is to live in a world where disabled adults are genuinely valued and included and can make choices and have the freedom to fulfil their ambitions. We’re inclusive, supportive and ambitious and work with kindness, integrity and respect.
Our trustees
Our trustee team has responsibility for overseeing our strategy and performance. We currently have nine trustees, and are looking to recruit more with the enthusiasm, skills and commitment we need to help guide Share through the next phase of its development. One of the most exciting and also challenging developments on the horizon is our place within the new development and community around Springfield University Hospital.
The last few years have been a challenging and difficult time for us all and Share has played a key role in supporting our students and their parents and carers through the pandemic. We anticipate that our students will continue to experience significant challenges in society, and that this will be exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. Our trustees will have an important role to play as Share continues to provide its services in these uncertain times, whilst also looking to the opportunities and challenges that the future will surely bring.
About you
We are looking for people with or without Board level experience, and we would welcome applications from adults of all ages. More than 50% of Share’s executive leadership and student body come from the global majority, and we want our board to better reflect this diversity.
We have recently boosted our board’s skills and experience in mental health, impact, and legal, and are now particularly focusing on bringing in more HR and Finance expertise.
How to find out more and apply
Read the trustee role description here to understand the duties and time commitments involved with being a trustee at Share
If you would like an informal chat with either the CEO, Abi Carter, or Chair, Kate Heaps, please contact Nicki Hedges, EA to the CEO, at nickih@sharecommunity.org.uk
Send your CV and a statement of no more than two pages outlining why you want to be a trustee at Share and your relevant skills / experience. The current deadline for applications is 9am on Thursday 31 August
Interviews will be held with Share’s CEO, Chair and another trustee / member of the Senior Leadership Team
For further information please contact Michele Noakes on 020 8050 4167 or michelen@sharecomunity.org.uk