Trustee vacancy – Lancashire Heritage

Background

Lancashire Heritage (2018) CIC is seeking to appoint two new board members to work in partnership with the other CIC directors to establish Becconsall, Lancashire’s Living Museum on the site of a former brickworks in Hesketh Bank (midway between Southport and Preston), Lancashire.

The attractive 20 acre site comprises woodland, open areas and a lake and is designated as a Biological Heritage Site. The site is being transformed into a heritage park where the natural environment will form the setting for a range of features and activities telling the stories of Lancashire’s rural and industrial past. The North West is one of the only areas in the UK that does not have its own open-air, living museum. The vision for Becconsall is that the site will become a popular and engaging attraction which offers leisure, educational and volunteering opportunities and contributes to wellbeing of local communities and to the proposition of a wider area. Partnerships, particularly those with the education sector and wider voluntary sector are an important feature of the vision and project implementation. We see the site being used actively by schools, FE students and supported people in a wide range of ways.

Delivery of the project has been impacted upon by the pandemic and the board is now aiming to open the site to audiences early in 2023.

The CIC was established and incorporated in 2018 to drive forward this exciting project and its six current directors bring to the project a wide range of experience including heritage, museum management, engineering and planning. It is proposed that a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) will also be established in the near future to sit alongside the CIC. This is a relatively small, but energetic and friendly organisation and the board is keen to widen its diversity. In particular the board welcomes applications from young people and recognises the opportunities offered to gain further knowledge and experience by being part of a project at a very active stage of its development.

The board is supported by a number of associates who offer particular experience and skills and we foresee many tasks moving to ‘project groups’ which might comprise a board member working with associates and volunteers.

Trustee opportunity

We are looking for people who will bring some or all of the following strengths and experience to the project:

Strengths

• Commitment to the organisation
• Integrity, strategic vision and good/independent judgement
• A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to their duties as director
• Ability to take decisions for the good of the organisation
• Good, independent judgement
• Good communication skills
• Tact and diplomacy
• Willingness to speak one’s mind and listen to the views of others
• An ability to work effectively as a member of a team
• Understanding of the legal responsibilities and liabilities of a director

Experience and skills

• Good organisational skills and a willingness to work ‘hands-on’ with project delivery tasks, in particular the organisation and management of these tasks. These could range from working with consultants, contractors and volunteers on a range of work from marketing, landscaping, creating features, organising events.
• Fundraising skills and experience. The board would benefit from having a member with experience and interest in this key task.
• Administration and financial management. Again, the board would benefit from having a member with experience and interest in these key tasks supporting project delivery and financial planning.
• Experience of working within the voluntary/charitable sector, ideally within a community-based project.
• Experience of partnership work, especially with the education sector
• Knowledge of and interest in rural, industrial and craft heritage and/or the heritage of Lancashire and the North West.

Number of meetings per annum/time commitment:

Approximately monthly.

Daytime or evening meetings:

Various.

Closing date for applications:      

30 November 2022.

Contact details or web link for applicants to find out more:    

Jonathan Lloyd, CIC Trustee. Email j.b.lloyd31@gmail.com