Are you passionate about the importance of green spaces within our communities? Do you have an interest in gardening? Do you have the knowledge, skills and experience to lead an organisation that is playing an important role within the community? This year Amisfield Preservation Trust (Amisfield Walled Garden) celebrates its 25th year anniversary. We are looking to recruit a new Chair who can lead the organisation forward to the next stage in its development.

About Amisfield Preservation Trust

Amisfield Preservation Trust provides a regenerative community space (Amisfield Walled Garden) just outside of Haddington for a wide range of groups. The project is volunteer led. Since project inception, volunteers have recreated a beautiful, historic and peaceful 8 acre walled garden which had fallen into disrepair. The project helps improve the life chances of those most vulnerable in our community, through support for individuals with barriers to employment; drives inclusion through involving volunteers with a range of additional support needs; promotes learning through educational activities for school groups with their teachers, and for the general public through a variety of training events; helps the community to flourish through increased social connection and regenerative activities that improve mental and physical wellbeing and resilience and help increase pride in the local community and place. Amisfield Walled Garden is a beautiful, tranquil garden. We are a 3 star Visit Scotland attraction which is open to the public (free of charge) for 6 days in the week.

We are looking for a volunteer Chair to lead the Amisfield Preservation Trust, the small charity that looks after the garden. The role involves working with our volunteer Board of Directors, Volunteer Coordinator, Wellbeing and Outreach worker and garden volunteers to ensure that the garden continues to play an important and much-loved role at the heart of the local community.

The qualities and experience we’re looking for in our new Chair are:

• An enthusiasm for gardening (whether amateur or professional)
• Great leadership skills
• A real sense of community, with great networks across the county or a willingness to create them
• Knowledge or experience of the voluntary/charitable sector
• Somebody comfortable with being the public face of the garden
• Ideally somebody based locally in East Lothian or willing to travel to Haddington.

Chair Role Description

Specific duties:

• Organising and Chairing monthly Amisfield Preservation Trust Board meetings
• Promoting good governance amongst fellow Board members and ensuring activity is in line with the garden’s charitable purposes
• Leading the Board in planning and coordinating a programme of garden developments and improvements
• Leading the Board in planning and coordinating a range of community events
• Working with fellow Board members to support and manage the garden’s two employees.
• Contributing to regular communications to the garden’s volunteers, supporters and stakeholders across email, the website and social media
• Being a key contact for the garden for stakeholders, funders and donors, including East Lothian Council
• Working with fellow Board members to compile applications for funding and collate impact reports to funders
• Representing the garden in the local media and with stakeholders across East Lothian

There are currently 8 members of the Board. The Chair role will be for a term of three years, with an initial probationary period of six months.

The Court of the University of Aberdeen is seeking to appoint four new independent members (non-executive directors and charity trustees) to fill vacancies that will arise during the Summer 2024.

The University was established in 1495 to serve the north-east of Scotland, today our university is a global presence in higher education. A dual focus on our region and the wider world is as important to us today as it was five centuries ago.

After serving on our governing body, University Court, for a number of years, four of our independent Court members will step down in August 2024. The University is now seeking exceptional candidates to fill these vacancies to ensure the continued successful delivery of the University’s priorities and objectives, the setting of its strategic direction and commitment to its values and mission.

The following areas of professional expertise and/or experience would bring particular value to University Court and to the roles of independent members:

• Chartered accountancy within complex or international organisations
• People and culture at senior executive level
• Senior FTSE/international management

In addition, we would also welcome applications from individuals with professional expertise and/or experience in:

• Digitisation, emerging technology and AI
• Sustainability, net zero and transition planning
• Media and communications
• Governance, regulatory and compliance

The University is also seeking to recruit a member of Court to Chair the Remuneration Committee. The following areas of professional expertise and/or experience would bring particular value to University Court and to the role of chair of the Remuneration Committee:

• Demonstrable knowledge and expertise in people and HR leadership, change management, organisational development, culture, diversity and inclusion, and reward.
• Proven experience of connecting boards and executives to people and organisational priorities as a senior leader.

None of the posts are remunerated, however reasonable expenses incurred as result of your role on the committee will be re-imbursed in line with the University’s expenses policy.

Thank you for your interest in applying to become a Member of the Lothian Pension Fund’s (LPF) Pensions Committee, which is hosted by its administering authority the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). As one of our Pensions Committee Members, you would play an essential role in ensuring that the pension fund has strong governance in place now and in the future. ​

Acting in the best interests of the members and employer bodies of the pension funds, the Pensions Committee (Committee) exercises oversight of LPF and, for example, determines the overall policy objectives and strategy, and monitors the overall performance of LPF and the Scottish Homes Pension Fund in accordance with its separate statutory remit. It also, for example, oversees the effective management and administration of pension funds and determines the strategy for the investment of pension fund monies. ​

We are seeking applications for the Committee’s two external, non-elected, member seats. One of these is drawn from LPF’s membership and the other from LPF’s employer bodies. ​

​Although each member is sourced from those stakeholder groups, importantly they will be required to act in accordance with their separate duty to all the stakeholders of the pension funds collectively and are not appointed to represent one particular group.

​

About LPF​

LPF administers the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Edinburgh and the Lothians and is one of the largest pension funds in the UK. We’re a multi-employer scheme with around £10 billion assets and are over 157% funded as at our most recent actuarial valuation serving 79,000 records attributable to 81,500 members from 67 employers across a broad range of sectors.​​

​We also manage the Scottish Homes Pension Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. This is a closed fund and has 1,550 deferred and pensioner members with £0.16 billion investments.​

LPF is unique in Scotland in operating an established FCA regulated in-house investment team. We manage over 85% of the fund’s assets via internal equity, bond and other real asset portfolios (e.g. infrastructure, property and timberland investments).​

​We also work closely with other LGPS funds delivering investment management and strategic investment advisory services across their portfolios (e.g. equities, bonds, private markets, and listed and indirect property investments). ​

​In March 2017, we became the first UK LGPS awarded accreditation for the Pensions Administration Standards Association and we’re proud to have held the Customer Service Excellence Award for over fifteen years.​

​The day-to-day running of LPF is carried out by a specialist team who undertake pension administration, accounting and investment functions. ​

​LPF colleagues are employed by an arms-length company, LPFE Limited (LPFE), which is wholly owned by CEC. ​

The opportunity​

We’re seeking applications for two external, non-elected, Committee seats; one drawn from LPF’s employer bodies (Employer seat) and one from LPF’s membership (Employee seat).​

​Committee membership is made up of five elected (Councillor) members of the CEC and two external, non-elected, members for which nominations are currently being sought.​

​To be eligible to apply for the role of external Committee Member Employee seat, you need to be either an active, deferred or retired member of the LPF.​

To be eligible to apply for the role of external Committee Member Employer seat, you need to work within an employer body that participates in the Fund and be nominated by your employer. ​​

Our Activity Centres provide innovative and person-centred services and support to veterans struggling with sight loss. This job exists in order to provide tailored support to veterans carrying out woodworking projects. You will work alongside the veterans to identify abilities, share ideas and plan projects within the activity Centre. You will ensure that the support provided is person-centred, tailored to their needs and is the right support for them. You will support the leadership team to coordinate and manage the activities provided within and from the Activity Centre which will support the overall wellbeing of the veterans and their families. You will work closely with colleagues across the organisation and external stakeholders to ensure that veterans can access the relevant support.

About us

We're one of Scotland's oldest charities - for more than two centuries, we've been supporting and empowering people with sight loss to live fulfilling lives. We're proud of all we've achieved in the past - but we have our sights set firmly on the future.

We're determined that no-one should face sight loss alone. We're committed to improving, diversifying and growing our services to make sure we can reach many more people with sight loss - when and where they need us.