Come and join us!
Liberdade Community Development Trust (Gosforth Civic Theatre) are looking for a number of people to join our Board as new trustees as we embark on an exciting time with the re-opening of our newly developed building.
What we are looking for
We are looking for people who can strengthen our Board and enable us to fully realise our plans for the future.
We are especially keen that our Board more fully reflects the diversity of the community we are based in and the wider communities we work with.
We are looking to recruit trustees with one or some of the following skills, knowledge and experience:
Lived Experience - We are looking for people with lived experience of; being a parent or a carer of someone with a learning disability; being a person of the Global Majority (someone disadvantaged by systemic racism); or have been disadvantaged by disability discrimination.
Facilities Management (arts/hospitality) – Although we have good skills within our staff team we would like to find a trustee who can bring facilities management skills to the board.
Youth Work/ Young People – We will be focusing more on work with young people and youth groups and would welcome someone with skills and connections in this area of work.
Community Fundraising Events - To bring skills, knowledge and connections to help us develop communityfundraising campaigns.
HR – To support the senior staff team with looking over and advising on HR policies and procedures.
About us
Our organisations mission is “To raise everyone’s expectations about what people with learning disabilities can achieve”. To help us achieve this, in 2016 we opened Gosforth Civic Theatre and have developed this into an inclusive and vibrant arts and cultural venue in which people with learning disabilities are at the heart of all we do.
We are a disability arts charity which was set up in 2003 as an apprenticeship scheme with the aim of enabling a group of people with learning disabilities to set up and run their own physical theatre company. We wanted to show how running an organisation could offer people with learning disabilities choice, and the opportunity to shape the community in which they live.
Gosforth Civic Theatre
We are in the final stages of a fabulous refurbishment and extension to the Theatre which will significantly improve its environmental performance, upgrade its facilities and provide extra space for community members and our growing staff team.
Gosforth Civic Theatre operates as:
- A home for our training, volunteering and work opportunities and programmes for people with learning disabilities
- An arts and cultural venue which offers a programme of gigs, performances and events for public audiences
- A community venue housing a range of regular weekly activities for community members to benefit from.
In addition, the Theatre offers:
- A popular community café which is open daily for people living and working nearby
- A flexible venue which can be used for corporate and private functions including weddings, parties, conferences, and away days.
Our Plans
This is an exciting time for Gosforth Civic Theatre as it re-opens its doors. We are delivering our new Theory of Change which focuses on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and which commits us to:
- Make everyone feel welcome at Gosforth Civic Theatre
- Get even better at showing what people with learning disabilities can do
- Make the most of our new state of the art, accessible building
To find out more pop in and say hello or you can visit our website and social media
What you will do
As a Trustee you will be expected to attend 4-6 Board meetings per year. You may also be asked to attend time limited sub-groups, strategic planning sessions, occasional away days and training relevant to your role. You will not be paid for this role but expenses are paid to enable all trustees to attend.
You do not need to have prior experience of being a Trustee as training will be given so that you fully understand the responsibilities that come with this role.
The recruitment and induction process will include an interview with the Chair and Vice Chair of the board and the Chief Executive, the opportunity to sit-in on a board meeting, a tour of the building, an opportunity to meet some of our beneficiaries, and a finance induction.
How to apply
Please send an email or a short video of yourself telling us:
- a bit about you
- what skills you could bring to the organisation
(See what we are looking for in the section above, but we are also interested in your other skills)
- why you would like to become a trustee of GCT.
- Please include a CV of your experience if you have one.
Please send this information to Rob Huggins (Chief Executive) at rob@liberdade.co.uk. You can also contact Rob Huggins for a chat to find out more about what being a trustee involves.