Co-Chair

Co-chair of trustees ~ information sheet

For the community, by the community

Helping the people of Swindon to come together and build stronger bonds by providing welcoming spaces where local organisations and residents can meet, work, learn, play, share and grow.

About the Hub

The Hub was founded in 2021, aiming to bring a warm, open and accessible community space into the heart of Swindon.

For the first three years we were all volunteers – in 2024 a grant from the National Lottery enabled us to employ our first members of staff, aiming to provide better training, support and development opportunities for volunteers and visitors, and to reach out into Swindon’s communities to promote the widest possible use of the space.

Over the years, our trustees have worked hard to develop and support our original vision, and to make sure all the right governance – from policies, to staff and financial oversight – are all in place and regularly reviewed.

We’re at a point now – halfway through the 3-year Lottery grant – where we need to look at and plan for our next steps. To support our vision, we’re keen to expand and develop what we offer, link with more communities and groups, and raise awareness of all we do. Taking on a second property is a key objective.

Our current chair has been in the role for some time and – with a view to succession and sustainability as well as a desire to bring in fresh thoughts, experience and ideas – we’re looking for a co-chair to join the board of trustees.

Are you passionate about community, and what voluntary organisations like the Hub can do to support people and organisations? Please read on.

About you

We’re looking for someone with vision, some time* to dedicate to this role, energy and ideas. As co-chair, you’ll be able to play a big part in solidifying our work and helping us move forward. The role could involve some or all of these – of course, we’re keen to talk more about making this new role work for everyone:
• Working with trustees to develop the vision and make plans for moving forward
• Planning and leading board meetings with other co-chair
• Giving direction to board policy-making
• Representing the Hub at functions and meetings
• Meeting with staff to gain an overview of activities and needs on the ground
• Helping develop the board of trustees
• Working with our treasurer, accountants and board members to oversee our finances
• Supporting the organisation’s overall development
• In general, we have a monthly board meeting – lasting no more than 2 hours – and we ask trustees to be ready to put in up to 3 hours/month on issues that come out of / input into those meetings. As co-chair there will surely be the chance to put in more time between meetings, depending on interests and time available.

Other possibilities

We also want more generally to develop our trustee board – if co-chair isn’t the right fit, we can definitely talk about other options.

Next steps

Interested? Please get in touch – you can mail at trustees@swindonhub.org.uk, either to arrange an informal chat or for an application form. Or both.
• Thank you.