Become a Trustee of Hazel Hill Trust and help shape our work to bring people back into contact with nature.
Location: A mixture of on-site at Hazel Hill Wood, near Salisbury and online via Zoom.
Time commitment: Minimum one day per month.
About the organisation
Hazel Hill Wood is a thriving woodland and retreat centre where people come to heal and learn through deeper connection with the wider living world. Founded in 2015, Hazel Hill Trust is the charity that owns and cares for Hazel Hill Wood. Our missions are to:
- Create a welcoming hearth in the middle of a thriving woodland as a place where people can connect with the wider living world.
- Develop our practice of Deep Ecology as a means to deepen our relationship with the wider living world.
- Partner with people and organisations to bring people to the wood as a place to heal and learn from everything it has to offer.
About the role
We are seeking three to four people to join our board of Trustees to play a vital role in helping set direction for the charity, overseeing our work and supporting staff as we develop the charity. The HHT Trustees take ultimate responsibility for ensuring we meet our aims and that the charity is well run. Although the day-to-day operations of the charity are delegated to the executive Chair and the staff team, you will be responsible for approving policies and for making or approving the big decisions. In addition, as we move to a more self-organising management style in the team, Trustees will have an increasing role in championing and mentoring staff as they develop their own operational initiatives.
About the team
The board is currently made up of eight trustees, with one due to retire in March. We have four Trustee meetings a year (two face-to-face at the wood, and two online). Our operations are delivered by a mixture of permanent staff, contractors and a committed and growing group of volunteers. What brings everyone together is a love for Hazel Hill Wood and a passion for the benefits it can bring.
About you
You will have a strong interest in re-establishing people’s connection with nature and the benefits it can bring. You may have worked at a strategic level in these fields, or have relevant personal experience which drives your interest.
We have identified the need for the following skills and experience within our board:
- Someone with senior experience of charity governance and organisational finance.
- Someone with charity development experience who can help guide us through the process of developing new streams of funding.
- Someone who can support the team in developing its HR systems as we move from working with contractors to permanent members of staff.
- Someone who has experience of managing an estate with off-grid systems.
- Someone who is locally embedded who can help us develop our connections with Salisbury and the wider area, and who can be a greater presence on site.
We don’t expect one person to fill all these above requirements; however, all Trustees must:
- Be willing to uphold the vision, values and objectives of Hazel Hill Trust and adhere to the principles and practices of equality and diversity.
- Have time and capacity to prepare for and to attend regular Board meetings, sub-committees and ad-hoc project groups.
- Be willing to share your time and expertise to support the staff team with ad-hoc tasks (such as reading and providing feedback on documents).
What we can do for you
- Give you the chance to be involved in shaping the direction of an organisation dedicated to working with one of the big questions of our time: how do we shift our relationship with nature so that we can restore our ecosystems and contribute towards a future rooted in a recognition of the interconnectedness of all life.
- Enable you to contribute to a charity that is seeking to make a positive difference to people in Salisbury, Wiltshire and the wider areas.
- Access to Hazel Hill Wood accommodation, which as a Trustee you can stay at with your friends and family to deepen your connection with the place and with the team.
- Provide you with supervision and informal training in being a Trustee.
- Pay out-of-pocket expenses you may incur (e.g. travel).
Further information
Twice-yearly face-to-face trustee meetings usually run from Sunday 6pm to lunchtime on a Monday. Ideally you would be able to attend these meetings, but we don’t want this way of working to become a barrier to good applicants applying.
If you are interested, please contact Oliver Broadbent (oliver@hazelhill.org.uk), Chair of Trustees for an informal conversation to find out more about the role. If you think it is right for you please fill in the application form below. No CV required. The deadline for applications is 31st January 2023. The recruitment panel will shortlist and interview candidates in February. The interview will be held with a panel of three Trustees on Monday 20th February, in a face-to-face format at the wood. We will pay travel expenses for the interview.
If you are appointed, you will initially be invited to attend two meetings (one face-to-face in the morning of 13th March and one online in July as a trial period for you to see how we work. If you are happy to carry on then we will formally add you to the Board of Trustees and appoint you as a Director at our meeting in October 2023.
(Photo credit: Diana Cotter)