Would you like to help tackle loneliness and social isolation, bringing people together? Are you organised and a good communicator?

North Berwick Coastal Community Connections is a small charity with funding from the North Berwick Trust and the National Lottery Community Fund to take forward our work of tackling social isolation in the North Berwick coastal ward. NBCCC is currently recruiting for a part-time Administration and Communications Co-ordinator.

The job holder will provide administrative support for the programme delivery, communications and operational work of the charity. The Administration and Communications Co-ordinator will also operate NBCCC’s digital platforms, including social media accounts and website, to disseminate information and promote the work of the organisation and our partners in the community.

The role is varied and requires someone with experience of office administration and creating content for social media. The job holder will have the opportunity to contribute to a variety of projects and initiatives, and a willingness to collaborate and work closely with colleagues is essential.

You will be expected to help ensure the smooth running of the charity and its programme of activities, including drop-in café, member meet-ups and gatherings with other organisations, seasonal campaigns and public events. This post requires someone with proven ability to prioritise and organise work and information, as well as excellent written and verbal communication skills.

We are excited to share with you a fantastic new job opportunity here at North Berwick Coastal Community Connections. Due to the continued success and expansion of the Charity we are looking to recruit an Operations Manager. This is an exciting, varied and rewarding role within our existing team of four.

North Berwick Coastal Community Connections is a charity tackling social isolation in the North Berwick Coastal area. NBCCC has funding from the National Lottery Community Fund and the North Berwick Trust. We have five part-time members of staff working with over 40 volunteers and 100+ members.

Our services include the Scone Café weekly drop-in, Befriending, Buddy Walking, a monthly ‘Community Connections’ newsletter, Coffee Connections meet-ups and the Compassionate Community project on death, dying and bereavement.

We are currently recruiting for new Trustees to join the Board. We are particularly looking for a Secretary, Safeguarding Officer and Co-Chair, but roles are negotiable according to the candidate’s background and interests.

Trustees govern the charity. We aim to have a Board which covers the key areas in which we work, and we are now seeking to appoint additional Trustees who, ideally, have experience in any of the following areas:

• Small voluntary organisations
• Charitable Board trustee roles
• Safeguarding of vulnerable adults

That said, we also welcome applications from individuals with other relevant experience. Our Trustees have ultimate responsibility for the operation and development of the charity, including employability, compliance with legislation, fundraising, public relations and financial control.

This is an exciting time to join NBCCC as a Trustee as we launch new partnerships and explore new opportunities to help us respond to the ever-increasing demand for our support.

The principal responsibilities of a Trustee include attending and actively participating in regular Board meetings (usually held on a Tuesday evening, both virtually and face-to-face). Trustees bring their professional experience to help govern the charity and actively support the Project Manager. The time commitment required is a minimum of one day per month, including the Trustee meetings (of 1.5-2 hours per meeting). All Trustees are expected to share a passion and commitment to supporting socially isolated adults in the North Berwick Coastal area. Please note that this is voluntary, although reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

If you think this opportunity sounds like you and want to help a unique local charity, please join us as a Trustee.

North Berwick Coastal Community Connections (NBCCC) are looking for a Compassionate Community Co-ordinator, initially based at home but also regularly working alongside NBCCC team members at local venues and attending monthly team meetings. They will report to the joint line managers, which are NBCCC Project Manager and our North Berwick Compassionate Communities (NB CC) partners.

North Berwick Coastal Community Connections (NBCCC) was set up in June 2019 by the North Berwick Health and Wellbeing Association, to engage with people experiencing the impact of loneliness. NBCCC was awarded charitable status in 2020. The focus of NBCCC is to help members to re-engage with the community through social contact and kindness. Some people find it difficult, for any number of reasons to engage with the community,and can then become lonely and feel isolated. COVID has added additional barriers and, for some people, the prospect of leaving their homes and connecting with others is extremely daunting. For those with a terminal diagnosis, this can be profoundly difficult.

North Berwick Compassionate Communities (NB CC) is a small volunteer led community development project. Between 2015-2020 NB CC had been coordinating compassionate community awareness raising events for both Absent Friends & Demystifying Death weeks. The project was delighted in 2020 to be announced as one of five projects to be part of the national Truacanta Project. NB CC as part of national project has developed a programme work from 2021- 2023 including: online events; events at Fringe by the Sea, Absent Friends week; working in partnership with local art group pARTicipate to develop an inspiring community art display; in partnership with St Columba’s Hospice developed a Compassionate Neighbour project; facilitating online End of Life Aid Skills for Everyone (EASE) training.

Aims of NB Compassionate Community (NB CC): “By supporting the growth of conversations around a topic area that our culture finds hard to talk about, namely death, dying, loss and grief, our vision would be the emergence of a more compassionate community in North Berwick. The community could be more capable of offering the right support, whether emotional, or practical, when it is needed the most’.

Compassionate Communities: creating conversations and confidence in our community around talking about death, dying and grief.

We require someone to work along with our NBCCC Community Connections team to further build the North Berwick Compassionate Community. A more resilient and compassionate community will help to reduce the isolation and loneliness that many people experience when facing a life limiting diagnosis and bereavement.

North Berwick Coastal Community Connections works to reduce social isolation and loneliness within the North Berwick Coastal Ward (which stretches from Aberlady in the west to Whitekirk in the east) by helping people become more connected and involved in their community. Using a mix of befriending and participatory activities, the project workers support people who may be isolated for a variety of reasons to regain their confidence and take their first steps back into social settings. Their members come from across the community, referred by GPs, local organisations, friends and family and, as self-referrals. Initially a community-led pilot project. NBCCC has now gained charitable status and is working towards its programme for the next three years.

Trustee Vacancies

The current Board wishes to appoint a number of additional trustees to oversee the strategic development of the charity as it moves into its next phase.

One vacancy is for a Safeguarding Officer. This trustee would assist the Board and staff with all aspects relating to the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (Scotland) Act 2007. A second vacancy has arisen for a trustee who would become Secretary to the Board.

Finally, we are seeking a trustee with first-hand working experience of small voluntary organisations.

These positions would be ideally suited to people with previous experience, knowledge and understanding of current safeguarding, child and adult protection legislation and related guidance, those with a background in mental health work and those who have previous knowledge of working in or with community-based charitable organisations.

In addition to monitoring the charity’s policies governing its work with volunteers and members, successful candidates should have a general interest in the reduction of social isolation and loneliness and be able to contribute to the strategic work of the Board.

Board meetings currently take place at 4-6 weekly intervals, but this frequency is expected to reduce as the charity becomes more established. Meetings have been taking place over Zoom although it is expected to have some physical meetings in the future.

Applications are invited from individuals who reside in the North Berwick Coastal Ward, although consideration will also be given to those with the appropriate background and experience who reside elsewhere.