Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre

Information for Trustees

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in becoming an Amberley Museum Trustee. Trustees play a key role in the running of the Museum, and we value greatly their experience, expertise and commitment which they provide without financial reward.

The Museum is currently looking to strengthen the Board of Trustees – in numbers and skills base. This briefing note is designed to explain the experience we are looking for from Trustees and to outline the general role of Trustees.

After reading this information, we hope you will feel inspired to apply to become a Trustee and if you would like an informal and confidential discussion about becoming a Trustee, please contact:

The Chair of Trustees. John Robbins

The Museum

Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre is the only centre of its kind in the South East of England, preserving and documenting traditional industries and rural activities.

It is set in a 36 acre site in the South Downs National Park. Its attractions include a narrow gauge railway and bus service which visitors can use. Exhibition halls include the Connected Earth Telecommunications Hall, Milne Electricity Hall, and a printing workshop. The Museum is also home to traditional craftspeople; display and demonstration sites include brickmaking, lime burning, bag mending, pottery and a blacksmithing.

Part of our mission is to preserve the rapidly disappearing industrial history of the South East but over the past 37 years the museum has grown and developed into a significant education and tourist centre in the region, attracting 50,000 visitors in 2016, spread across children, adults of all ages, and groups. The Museum has a programme of special events, including Traditional Crafts weekend, Military Vehicles weekend, Classic Car Show, Miniature Steam weekend and Christmas Santa opening.

Staffing includes a Director, Deputy Director, Site Services Manager, Marketing Officer, Education Officer, a Heritage Learning Officer, a Curator, administration, maintenance and catering staff.

The active core of volunteers is around 250.

The Trustee Board must have a minimum of 5 and maximum of 12 members.

The Museum has full accreditation status.

Why Become a Trustee?

The role of Trustee provides the chance to:

  • Give back your skills, knowledge and career experience to local communities;
  • Develop new skills and knowledge;
  • Make new contacts, acquaintances and friends;
  • Work together with colleagues to ensure the sustainability of Amberley’s future as a special part of the country’s heritage and a place visitors will continue to enjoy and learn from.

Becoming a Trustee provides a challenging, rewarding and enjoyable opportunity to get involved and play an active role in something that matters to you.

Prospective Trustees: Essential Requirements

We expect potential Trustees to have several of the following qualities:

  • An ability to think strategically, focussing on major issues;
  • Empathy with the Museum’s vision, including an appreciation for the contribution Amberley makes to the industrial heritage of South East England;
  • Be a team player
  • Effective networking, communication and advisory skills;
  • Prior volunteering experience or prior experience in a trustee or governance role;
  • An ability to command respect amongst management and the team of Museum volunteers;
  • Experience of business management in either the public, private, or voluntary sectors.

Professional background could be in one or more of the following disciplines:

  • Museums, Culture, Leisure, the Arts or Creative Industries
  • Communications, Marketing and Media Relations
  • Fundraising
  • Human Resource Management
  • Education Leadership
  • Business or Public Sector Leadership
  • Project Management
  • Finance

However, we also seek candidates who can demonstrate hands on experience of managing retail, industrial or commercial operations, with relevance to running an industrial museum site.

Amberley Trustee Skills

Specific skills needed on the Board at Amberley have been identified in an early 2017 governance review as in:

  • Fundraising and income generation
  • Community engagement and informal learning
  • Curatorial/heritage management
  • Engaging educational institutions
  • ICT strategy
  • Leisure strategy
  • Public sector/Government

Your Contribution to the Board of Trustees

Trustees are usually appointed to the Board because they have something special to contribute to the Museum due to their skills or experience in a particular area, such as in Fundraising, Museums, Leisure, Marketing or Finance. However, you will not be expected to take on sole responsibility for that area (the Board is collectively responsible for its decisions and actions) but it is hoped you will take on, and get involved in, a rangeof matters based on to your interests and skills.

To ensure you can make an effective contribution to the Museum you will be expected to:

• Become familiar with the Museum’s vision and mission, strategy, organisation and resources;

• Be prepared for meetings and able to ask senior staff the best questions – Trustees are expected to read the agenda papers in advance of meetings;

• Contribute to, accept and stand by decisions of the Board – Board discussions are confidential and not to be shared with outside parties;

• Support the Museum staff – the Director will look to the Board for support in his/her dealings with the stakeholders and also external parties such as the media and the public;

• Avoid conflicts of interest – there may well be occasions when your personal interests (or business) might conflict with those of the Museum. In these situations,Trustees should, at the very least, declare their interest and take no part in the decision-making process.

Eligibility

The law places certain restrictions on becoming a charity trustee. For example, you cannot be under the age of 18, previously have been removed from Trusteeship of a charity by a Court or the Charity Commission, disqualified under the Company Director’s Disqualification Act 1986, or been convicted of an offence involving deception or dishonesty (unless the conviction is spent).

If you are in any doubt about your eligibility, visit the Charity Commission website at

Time Commitment and Term of Office

Board meetings traditionally have been held 6 times a year. However,at times the Board may decide to meet more regularly.

It is essential that Trustees attend meetings when required, and before making an application you should think carefully about your availability now and in the future. Trustees are asked to commit to a 3-year term on the Board, with the option of serving for a second term of 3 years.

Governance is also carried out through several Sub Committees, dealing with for example, finance and health and safety. These Sub Committees, on which Trustees are invited to serve, may meet once a quarter.

Together with preparation time a Trustee may expect to commit a minimum 5-6 days per quarter to the task.

The Role of Trustees

Charity trustees share together ultimate responsibility for governing a charity, setting the direction to how it is managed and run, and ensuring it is doing what it is achieving its goals.

Trustees are responsible for the overall strategic and business planning of the organisation its financial performance and working with, and being a ‘critical friend’ to senior staff.

The Charity Commission identifies 6 main duties of Trustees

1. Ensure your charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit

  • ensure you understand the charity’s purposes as set out in its governing document
  • plan what your charity will do, and what you want it to achieve
  • how the charity benefits the public by carrying out its purposes

2. Comply with your charity’s governing document and the law

  • make sure that the charity complies with its governing document
  • comply with charity law requirements and other laws that apply to your charity

3. Act in your charity’s best interests

  • do what you and your co-Trustees (and no one else) decide will best enable the charity to carry out its purposes
  • with your co-Trustees, make balanced and adequately informed decisions, thinking about the long term as well as the short term

4. Manage your charity’s resources responsibly

  • not take inappropriate risks with the charity’s assets or reputation
  • not over-commit the charity
  • take special care when investing or borrowing
  • comply with any restrictions on spending fund

5. Act with reasonable care and skill

  • use reasonable care and skill, making use of your skills and experience and taking appropriate advice when necessary
  • giving enough time, thought and energy to your role, for example by preparing for, attending and actively participating in all Trustees’ meeting

6. Ensure your charity is accountable

  • comply with statutory accounting and reporting requirements

Duties, Responsibilities and Accountabilities of the Amberley Board

The Museum is governed by a Board of Trustees, the main duties and responsibilities of which are:

Accountability, Legal and Financial Duties

• Ensuring the museum complies with its Memorandum and Articles of Association, charity and company law and other regulatory requirements;

• Securing financial stability, including approval of the annual budget and deciding on major capital expenditure;

• Regularly monitoring performance against the annual budget and supporting appropriate management action designed to achieve agreed levels of financial performance;

• Monitoring and reviewing reports on the Museum’s activities;

• Promoting equality and diversity in line with its Equal Opportunities Statement (see below).

Policy and Planning

• Setting the overall strategic direction, setting policy, defining objectives and setting targets and evaluating performance;

• Developing and approving the ‘Business Plan’ and ensuring sustainability of operations;

• Ensuring that all operational risks associated with the Museum are recognised and that appropriate steps to mitigate these are implemented and regularly monitored;

• Providing guidance on new initiatives;

• Horizon scanning and making sure the museum remains contemporary in its appeal and relevant to all communities.

Advocacy

• Acting as an enthusiastic and well-informed ambassador for the Museum at all times;

• Safeguarding the good name and values of Amberley;

• Promoting the Museum, its activities and its needs to the public, private and voluntary sectors so as to enhance the Museum’s profile and assist with its fundraising and income generation activities.

Employment and Personnel Duties

• Overseeing the recruitment of the Museum Director;

• Ensuring the safe and efficient use of premises for both staff and the public, in-line with its Health & Safety Policy.

In short, Trustees work to ensure compliance with their legal duties to: (i) act in the interests of the charity and its beneficiaries; (ii) protect and safeguard the assets of the charity; (iii) act with reasonable care and skill; and (iv) ensure the charity is accountable.

Equal Opportunities Statement

The Museum works to achieve diversity and welcomes applications from all members of the community.

As an organisation dependent for its success on the full involvement of users and visitors, and as an employer and overseer of a volunteer team, the Museum recognises that it has a moral and legal responsibility to promote equal opportunities.

In particular, the Museum through its Board of Trustees aims to make sure that:

  • There is equality of opportunity in terms of access to the Museum and its services and that this reflects and is appropriate to the needs of the diverse communities using and visiting the Museum.
  • Prospective and present employees and volunteers are afforded equal and fair treatment in relation to recruitment, selection, terms and conditions of employment, training and promotion.
  • The Museum will work to actively combat discrimination and make sure that prospective or present employees, and those who wish to use and visit the Museum, are not treated less favourably on the grounds of: Gender, Marital Status, Employment Status, Responsibility for Children or Dependents, Race, Colour, Religion, Ethnic or National Origin, Age, Disability, Class, Sexual Orientation, Gender Reassignment or by association with anyone with a protected characteristic or are disadvantaged by the application of any other conditions or requirements, which cannot be shown to be justified.

Application and Selection Process

You are invited to apply in confidence by submitting your Curriculum Vitae, together with a brief covering letter highlighting why you would like to be a Trustee, what you consider you can contribute and any other information that you think will help the Appointment Panel. Two references are requested.

In pursuing your application, you may find it helpful to:

• If you are not already familiar with the Museum, please visit us beforehand;

• Visit the Museum’s website at

• Study all the information you have about the role of a Trustee and refer to Charity Commission guidelines- ;

We will acknowledge receipt of your application. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to meet with the Appointment Panel. Appointments will be based on merit and successful appointments may be staggered during the course of 2017.

Please send your application, in confidence, to:

John Robbins

Chair of Trustees

Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre

Station Road

Amberley, nr Arundel

West Sussex

BN18 9LT

or by Email to:

Data Protection Act 1998 and Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006

The information that you provide as part of your application will be used in the selection process. All information about you will be securely held, with access restricted to only those involved in dealing with your application. Unless you are appointed as a trustee, your data will be kept for 12 months and then destroyed.