Kings Own Royal Regiment Museum

The King’s Own Royal Regiment is seeking to appoint a new Chair of Trustees to take over from Robin Ashcroft who steps down in April 2024, having served as Chair since 1 April 2018. 

This is a pivotal time for King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum (KORRM) having recently delivered its most successful exhibition, Hinge of Fate: Living with Uncertainty in 1942 which has set a benchmark for KORRM to continue to deliver exciting exhibitions and great opportunities for questioning and learning.

The new Chair will act as an ambassador for KORRM, developing relationships with key stakeholders, provide leadership to KORRM and its Board; oversee the forward strategy ensuring maximum impact and our continued success.

Introduction to The King’s Own Royal Regiment Collection/Museum

The King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum – housed in Lancaster’s City Museum since 1929 – tells the story of the King’s Own Royal Regiment. Raised in 1680, Lancaster has been the regiment’s home since the nineteenth century, with the connection continuing, beyond amalgamation and up to the present day through the regiment’s successor, The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment.

This is an exciting time for the King’s Own Royal Regiment museum – and the City Museum itself – with Lancaster City Council having taken management of the city’s museums back in-house, to develop a strong Heritage Tourism sector within the city. This presents an outstanding opportunity for The King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum.

As a museum telling the story of a regiment – rather than a regimental museum – we are in a fortunate position. Hosted, as we are, by Lancaster City Council, in the City Museum, Trustees are not responsible for the typical overheads associated with a standard museum operation; nor are we reliant upon Ministry of Defence funding. We are in a very sound financial and operational position.

The collection and gallery displays are the responsibility of a Board of Trustees, who recognise we now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to become an exemplary museum – telling the story of the King’s Own Royal Regiment – for the 21^st Century. Working in cooperation with Lancaster City Council, this is an opportunity we are determined to seize and ambition we are confident that is what we will achieve.

The Trust supports these purposes through a partnership agreement with Lancaster City Council/Lancaster Museums who house, manage and curate the collection, displaying it in the King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum which is housed within the Lancaster City Museum. Lancaster Museums also run the Maritime and Cottage Museums. All museums are Accredited.

A part of our ‘Vision’, is that ‘we won’t be confined by the walls of our gallery’ and Hinge of Fate: Living with Uncertainty in 1942 widened the museum’s presence throughout Lancaster, with special performances and experiential opportunities: ‘Eating for Victory’ with the Women’s Institute; ENSA styled entertainment at the Duke’s Theatre and a very major city centre event as part of ‘Light up Lancaster’, with Sandylands Primary School, in the run up to Remembrance Day. These wider events, which engaged several groups of young people in their making, also reflected that the war time experience of the regiment’s soldiers, as well as their families and communities, was set against the wider events of war, not least those of the refugees, many of whom found sanctuary in Britain in those dark days. An issue which is clearly as relevant today, as it was in the 1940s.

We wish to build on the success of Hinge of Fate: Living with Uncertainty in 1942. 

To find out more about the museum please click here to visit the website>>

Overall Responsibilities:  

1. Chair trustee meetings.
2. To provide leadership and direction and to ensures the trust functions effectively and fulfils its duties.
3. Annually focus the trust’s attention on matters of organisational governance that relate to its structure, composition, and relationship with museum staff, outside agencies and groups.
4. Engender a collegiate approach in the trust’s business.
5. Ensure that the trust has a realistic strategy with strategic objectives & priorities; and establishes short-, medium- and long-term goals and objectives.
6. Work with secretary in preparing the agenda for trustee meetings, to ensure all required business is given adequate time.
7. Work in partnership with the museum management and other trustees (especially the secretary) to make sure trustee resolutions are carried out.
8. Confirm appointment of sub-groups and sub-group leadership and recommend trustees to serve on sub-groups.
9. Maintain a “finger on the pulse” by receiving reports and updates from museum staff and project groups.
10. Take decisions between meetings, and within parameters agreed by the trustees at trustee meetings. Keep the other trustees informed as necessary and call special meetings if necessary.
11. Identify risks and opportunities regarding the effective working of the museum.
12. Work with other trustees to recruit new trustees.
13. Act as a spokesperson for the trust.
14. Meet with new trustees prior to their joining and then meet with all trustees, on a one-to-one basis annually.
15. Consult with other trustees on their roles and help them assess their contribution.
16. Enhance relationships with other groups and agencies.
17. Adhere to duties in the general trustee role description.

 General Trustee responsibilities as advised by the Charity Commission:

Ensure that the KORRM complies with charity law, and with the requirements of the Charity Commission as regulator.

Ensure that the KORRM does not breach any of the requirements or rules set out in its constitution and that it remains true to the charitable purpose and objects set out. Comply with the requirements of other legislation and other regulators such as the Equality Act, Health & Safety, employment law and data protection as data controller. Act with integrity and avoid any personal conflicts of interest or misuse of LBT funds or assets.

Ensure that the KORRM is and will remain solvent.

Use KORRM funds and assets reasonably and only in furtherance of the Trust’s charitable objects.
Take special care when investing the funds of the charity, or borrowing funds.

Use reasonable care and skill in their work as Trustees, using their skills and experience as needed to ensure that the charity is well-run and efficient.

Consider soliciting external professional advice on all matters where there may be material risk to the charity, or where the Trustees may possibly be in breach of their duties.

Commitment

Being a trustee is both enjoyable and satisfying but there is a need to be willing to commit to the values of the Trust.

The Chair serves for a 3- 6 years term (under exceptional circumstances this could be extended to 9 years).
The KORRM meets up to four trust meetings a year (including our annual open meeting on the Saturday of Remembrance Weekend) and contribute to the work of subgroups.

The Chair is expected to take on additional specific tasks and activities to promote KORRM to its stakeholders.

This is a voluntary position and is not remunerated. Travel, and when necessary, accommodation expenses may be paid as well and any necessary training and support for this role.

Person Specification

• Able to demonstrate a strong passion and commitment to the Trust and the Museum, its strategic objectives, and cause
• Accomplished in operating at a strategic leadership level.
• Experienced in operating at a senior strategic leadership level within an organisation
• Strong leadership skills, ability to motivate staff and volunteers and bring people together.
• Capable of demonstrating tact and diplomacy, with the ability to listen and engage effectively
• Experienced in governance and being part of a board.
• Possessing strong networking capabilities that can be utilised for the benefit of the Museum and Trust.
• Skilled in chairing meetings and events Strong in interpersonal skills and relationship building abilities to be comfortable in an ambassadorial role.
• Able to show strong networking abilities and demonstrable experience of partnership working.
• Able to commit the time required for the role.

Recruitment Process

Appointments will be made subject to receiving satisfactory references, which will only be taken up if an applicant is invited to become the Chair of Trustees.

Prior to being formally appointed, applicants will need to confirm that they are eligible to be a Trustee by confirming that they:

• Are not disqualified from acting as a charity trustee or company director, have not been removed from serving as a charity trustee, or been stopped from acting in a management position within a charity.
• Have not been convicted of an offence involving deception or dishonesty (or any such conviction that is legally regarded as spent) and have not been involved in tax fraud. Are not an undischarged bankrupt or have not made compositions or arrangements with creditors from which they have not been discharged.

How to apply

Applications are encouraged from candidates from across the UK, regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, and from the broadest range of personal and professional backgrounds.

A familiarity with, and reasonable access to Lancaster along with a degree of understanding – indeed sympathy – for the British Army’s unique and occasionally eccentric regimental system would also be advantageous.

If you are interested in finding out more about the museum and the Chairman role, then Robin Ashcroft would be delighted to talk with you. Please contact him at robin.ashcroft7@icloud.com