Trustee

Trustee vacancy
Paxton Green Time Bank, based at Kingswood House in Seeley Drive, South Dulwich, is a well-established and well-regarded small charity. We use co-production to help build strong, active communities, and to develop the well-being, capacity and skills of the members to enable everyone to participate fully in society.
We are expanding further into Lambeth and Southwark, enabling the development of additional Timebank Hubs in other communities.
We would like to recruit one or two more trustees to join the existing strong team. We are looking for active, outgoing people who would like to help us further our goals, and who are willing to participate in appropriate ways in the activities, as well as fulfilling their statutory oversight role. We would particularly like applications from people who are well connected in local institutions, local businesses or community groups. Business and IT skills are also desirable.
The board meets bi-monthly in Dulwich, usually in the early evening.
Read more about us on www.pgtimebank.org and if you are interested, please send an email to [email protected] to receive more information. Deadline for expressions of interest is end June 2015. We will be interviewing in summer 2015.

The role of trustees

Trustees take ultimate responsibility for the work that the organisation does and the way in which it uses its assets to achieve its aims. The trustees are legally responsible for ensuring that Paxton Green Time Bank operates to the standards set by the Charity Commission and parliament. As Paxton Green Time Bank is also a company limited by guarantee, the trustees as directors of the company are responsible for ensuring compliance with Companies House requirements. Trustees are not expected to be involved in the day-to-day running of the Time Bank.

Statutory requirements

• To ensure that Paxton Green Time Bank complies with its governing document, charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations
• To ensure that Paxton Green Time Bank pursues its objects as defined in its governing document
• To ensure that Paxton Green Time Bank uses its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objects and other general objects which are charitable by law. The Time Bank must not spend money on activities which are not included in this object, no matter how worthwhile or charitable those activities are.
• To contribute actively to the board of trustees' role in giving strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and budgets and evaluating performance against agreed targets
• To safeguard the good name and values of Paxton Green Time Bank.
• To ensure the effective and efficient administration of Paxton Green Time Bank
• To ensure the financial stability of Paxton Green Time Bank
• To protect and manage the property of the charity and to ensure the proper investment of the charity's funds
• To appoint the Manager and monitor his/her performance

Other requirements

• Trustees are expected to use any specific skills, knowledge or experience that they have to help the board of trustees reach sound decisions.
• Trustees may be asked to act as a member of a board sub-committee or advisory group.
• To occasionally attend Time Bank events

Commitment

The full board will meet every 8 weeks. Any board papers will be sent out one week before the board meetings and trustees are expected to have read and understood the papers prior to the meeting.

Person specification - general

The trustees of the Paxton Green Time Bank will be able to demonstrate
• Commitment to the organisation
• Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort and to impart the benefit of their particular skills and experience
• Strategic vision
• Good, independent judgement
• Ability to think creatively
• Willingness to speak their mind
• Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team
There are additional person specifications for the Chair & Treasurer.

Our mission at Paxton Green Time Bank (PGTB) is to embed an understanding of the impact of time banking in creating new mutually supportive relationships locally and its role in improving health and wellbeing, and to demonstrate this through running a well-functioning timebank.
PGTB Aims:
1. To facilitate and foster new social networks in the locality through reciprocal exchange using the time bank system.
2a. To support participants to improve their own confidence, skills and self-esteem.
2b To support members to improve their physical and mental health.
3a To enable coproduction of PGTB
3b To produce evidence of the impact of time banking.
4. To foster reciprocal relationships with statutory and non-statutory organisations.
We aim to build sustainable networks of local support through utilising local resources and recognising people as assets, supporting them to become more self-determining and find local answers to local concerns.
A Time Bank uses an alternative currency – time instead of money. In a time bank, participants earn credits for helping each other - one hour of your time entitles you to an hour of someone else's time. It's about neighbours helping neighbours. Help can be in many forms - performing practical tasks, befriending someone, running errands, sharing food grown in the garden. Unlike real money, anyone and everyone can earn time credits - no-one is excluded. Almost everybody - young or old - has something to offer, from making supportive phone calls to neighbours to running small errands. Most importantly, everyone's time is worth the same. Paxton Green Time Bank was started by Paxton Green Group Practice, based at Paxton Green Health Centre, SE21 8AU and has a wellbeing remit, and is open to everyone living or working in Kingswood Estate, Dulwich, Gipsy Hill and Norwood.