Directors of the Board
We are always looking for new people interested in becoming a Director/trustee on our Board.
Our Directors come from different backgrounds, bringing a wide range of skills and experience with them. Generally, their experience will have been gained in a business environment, the public sector, other voluntary or charitable organisations or through previous voluntary or committee work.
We are looking for people who believe in the ethos and values of Birchwood Highland and have a keen interest in learning more about us. If you come with an open view, are able to make balanced and measured decisions based on information that you are presented with and have a passion that will ensure your commitment to Birchwood Highland, its staff and service users, then we would really like to hear from you.
We ask that each Director serves on our Board for three years.
Board meetings are held every two months, usually during lunchtime hours. Over a year, we hold six Board meetings and an Annual General Meeting on the same day as the September Board meeting.
To ensure that our staff and service users get to know our Directors, we ask that each Director undertakes a visit to one of our five service areas on an annual basis. This may mean linking with a team meeting and dates will be arranged with the individual to suit their availability.
Occasionally you may be asked to participate in other ad hoc meetings if you agree to lead on a specific short-term piece of work or to help with fundraising activities.
Hopefully you will get a:
- Sense of fulfilment from helping an organisation to move forward to the benefit of mental health service users throughout the Highlands.
- A sense of achievement in seeing key decisions made at Board meetings improve the level and type of services that Birchwood Highland provides.
- A sense of being part of an organisation where staff are motivated to use their skills and knowledge to further the independence, inclusion and recovery of service users in their local communities, and where the service user 'voice' really does count and help shape the services that we provide.
- A deeper interest in mental health services in the Highlands.
- Interest and enjoyment from working with your peer directors.
Although these posts are voluntary and therefore do not attract any remuneration, we will reimburse relevant travel expenses, offer training opportunities, provide a full induction and two Board away days per year.
You will find further information about the Director's role on the Board of Directors page.
Members of the Board
If you are not able to give the regular commitment described above, but are interested in becoming involved with Birchwood Highland and feel that you could bring something to the company, you could consider becoming a Member of the Company. This would require your attendance and participation in the company's Annual General Meeting. As with Director roles, we are looking for individuals with life experience that they can bring from a variety of backgrounds. Knowledge of how a charitable company operates would be an advantage, but specifically we are looking for people who are interested in the values and ethos that Birchwood Highland promotes. A key role of being a Member is to nominate and vote in, in an official capacity, Directors of the Board at the Annual General Meeting.
If you are interested in becoming either a Director of the Board or a Member of Birchwood Highland, please contact Valerie Cameron, Secretary to the Board, or Emily Stokes-Reid, Chief Executive on 01463 236 507, or Email:
valerie.cameron@birchwoodhighland.org.uk
Emily.stokes-reid@birchwoodhighland.org.uk