Notice of Election of Trustees 2021
An election of Trustees for The Minster Centre will take place between 7th and 16th December.
The Board of Trustees has responsibility for making sure the Minster Centre delivers its charitable objectives and deciding overall how the charity is run. They take an overview of our strategic direction, finances and operations. The Board meets at least 5 times a year on Friday early evenings. There is also at least one full day meeting usually on a Saturday in June.
Additional work on specialist working groups or committees may also be undertaken, depending on Trustees’ personal interests, experience and availability. Trustees normally serve for a term of three years in the first instance but can stand for re-election up to a maximum of nine years.
Under the provisions of our governing document the Board can consist of a minimum of 7 trustees and a maximum of 14. The Board is made up of 11 independent Trustees (not staff or students) elected by Minster Centre Alumni, a staff Trustee (member of staff elected by the staff), and a student Trustee (a student who is on a course at The Minster Centre extending over more than one year, elected by students attending a course at The Minster Centre extending over more than one year) and the Director.
We started 2021 with 11 independent trustees. At this election four independent trustees, Christopher Brookes, Norma Clayton, Elizabeth Mpyisi and Susanna Wright are standing down, along with Hannah Joll, our current student trustee and Mark Gullidge, our staff trustee. At this election, we are therefore seeking four new independent Trustees, one student representative and one staff representative.
If you are interested in serving as a Trustee you don’t need to have any particular previous experience but you do need to be interested and committed to seeing The Minster Centre continue to thrive and develop. You can contribute by offering your perspective as a practicing psychotherapist or counsellor or by drawing on your skills and experience from other fields.
The Centre has a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and would like this to be more fully represented in the composition of its Board of Trustees. We would particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, the LGBT+ community, care leavers, disabled people and people from other minority and underrepresented groups.
The Board has also identified that Trustees who can bring skills and experience in the following areas would be particularly helpful:
- ◇ Equality and Diversity
- ◇ Fundraising
- ◇ Commercial property (leases and acquisition)
- ◇ Accountancy
- ◇ Legal knowledge, particularly relating to property, commercial and employment
- ◇ Business development
- ◇ Education technology
- ◇ HR
This does not rule out nominations from people with other skills to offer.
It is not necessary to have trained at The Minster Centre in order to be an independent Trustee.
Further information can be downloaded below.
Deadline
Nominations must be received by noon on Monday 6th December 2021. Existing Trustees and members of the Minster Centre can nominate independent candidates and should use the nomination form (downloadable below). Any staff member can nominate another staff member and any student on a course that is longer than one year can nominate another student on a course that is longer than one year (this means students at any point on the Diploma in Counselling, MA/Advanced Diploma, MA/PG Dip Advanced Clinical Practice or Supervision.
Nominees will need to send a brief CV and a statement of why they wish to be elected as a Trustee (maximum two sides of A4). Please submit your documents in Microsoft Word.
Please note that these documents will be circulated to members as part of the voting process and will also be available on our website until the election closes. Voting will start on Tuesday 7th December and close on Thursday 16th December.
Nominations and Applications
For further information about the role of a trustee, and how to make a nomination, please see the downloadable pack below.
If you are interested in becoming a Trustee but have no current connection with the Minster Centre please contact Afua Pierre by email: [email protected] or call 020 7644 6255 by 29th November.
