Trustees needed at Trinity Hospice

Martin Gardner posted on Nov 23 2021

The biggest local charity on the Fylde coast is recruiting for new Trustees.

Trinity Hospice is looking for new members of its Board of Trustees to help manage the charity at it continues to recover from the difficulties it faced during the Covid pandemic.

The hospice, which includes Brian House Children’s Hospice, is particularly keen for new Trustees with specialist skills in accounting or business finance, health and social care, human resources, fundraising and digital marketing.

Trinity’s Chief Executive, David Houston, said: “We are looking for Trustees to help steer the charity through a time of unprecedented change caused by the pandemic which particularly affected our fundraising programme.

“With a new strategy and business plan, we are responding to radical health sector reforms, the impact of covid, growing competition and significantly increasing numbers of people on the Fylde coast living and dying with complex end-of-life needs.

“Over the past 36 years we have derived our success by focusing on what really matters – our patients, our staff and our volunteers and in being responsive to our patients’ needs we have ensured high quality and compassionate care for them and their families.

“Our responsiveness and engagement are central to our continued success, and we need committed Trustees who are passionate about our cause to be advocates for our work and vision that everyone on the Fylde coast has access to good end-of-life care and a good death.”

The Board of Trustees is responsible for ensuring the charity complies with charity and company law, and that Trinity uses its resources responsibly to achieve its aims. Each member typically serves for at least six years in two three-year terms.

Nigel Law was appointed as a Trinity Trustee in 2011 and became Chairman of the Board of Trustees in 2017.

He said: “The commitment we make as Trustees for the hospice makes a direct difference to the patients and families it supports, alongside the people working in its teams.

“The work involved in being a Trustee can be demanding but is also immensely rewarding, providing both expected and unexpected opportunities for personal development. We are a team of multi-skilled, experienced and talented people in our own fields of work, and we’re from a range of backgrounds.

“We each have important role to ensure that Trinity continues to be well managed, delivers on its promises and continues to demonstrate good governance and excellence in all areas.

“The rewards of working with, and learning from, people from different backgrounds and skills are vast, and we’re all really looking forward to welcoming new Trustees to help up plan and fulfil Trinity’s strategic future while ensuring it is accountable to its patients, their families, our supporters and sponsors, the Charity Commission and everyone on the Fylde coast.”

Being a Trinity Trustee is a voluntary role that is unpaid, but one for which reasonable expenses can be claimed such as for travel to attend meetings in person.

Applicants should live and work, or have worked, on the Fylde coast, and be free to attend Board meetings six times a year either virtually or in person. Trustees are also required to commit to joining sub-committees which meet in the evenings and attend some staff meetings during the day.

Anyone interested in becoming a Trinity Trustee should email [email protected] for further information.