We're recruiting new trustees!
Abney Park Trust is an independent registered charity with the mission of promoting the park’s history, wildlife and role in the community. We work with Hackney Council to promote engagement with the cemetery. We are looking for up to three new Trustees as well as active volunteers.
For over thirty years the Trust has worked as a registered charity to promote the restoration of the park. There could not be a more exciting time to join the Trust as the restoration project is just completing. We are particularly looking for Trustees with skills in:
Fundraising (the Trust needs to raise money to be sustainable in the medium term)
Community engagement (to ensure we are working with all parts of our community)
Charity law and/or administration (to review how we work and deepen our representation and refresh our governance)
We also want the Board to be more representative of the community we work with. We welcome applications from all parts of the community, but we particularly welcome applications from all faith groups and black and global majority candidates.
We are also looking for a young trustee (aged 18 - 24). The exciting new Activity Plan (as part of the restoration) asks us to recruit someone from this age group. If you’re in this age group, love Abney Park and want to build your skills in a small charity environment, please apply – we’re looking forward to hearing your perspectives and experiences.
"I write to say how much we appreciate the support you and colleagues have given me and my family over the years. Without your help we would not have been able to confirm that past relatives are resting in Abney Park... It was marvellous that my 90 year old mother could attend the unveiling of the new headstone for Margaret and that so many different groups were brought together to celebrate her life and achievements."
- descendant of Margaret Graham, buried in Abney and the recipient of a new headstone fundraised for by the Trust
Photo: the family of Margaret Graham gather around her new headstone. © Jannine Newman, janninenewman.com
To apply please send a short cover letter (two sides maximum), with a CV if you have one, explaining why you would like to be a Trustee of Abney Park Trust, what skills you would bring and that you understand the role of a Trustee for a small charity as set out in the Charity Commision guidance.
Please send to info@abneypark.org by 11th February, marked “Trustee Recruitment” in the subject line.
In terms of practicalities, the Trustee roles are voluntary and we are looking for people who can actively participate in the Trust’s activities and don’t mind mucking in. The Board meets on alternative months on Wednesday evenings: some meetings are online and some are in person (six meetings a year). There is an annual AGM in November. And there is an events committee and other informal meetings outside of this cycle.
Active involvement can mean supporting grant applications, consultation responses, attending quarterly community days, stewarding or supporting events, and helping on admin etc. We work very flexibly with each other around professional and family commitments.
Above all, we are looking for people with:
A commitment to community involvement in public spaces
A passion for Abney’s history, ecology and role as a community asset
A willingness to muck in where needed; and
Great community connections in Hackney.
The Trust employs two part-time staff and works with Hackney Council officers closely. We will soon have dedicated office space on site, fourteen hours of access a week to the new community space, a space for merchandise in the new cafe and twelve days a year free use of the historic chapel for our events. Our income/outgoings are around £50,000 a year, with core grants from Hackney Council and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Our 2022/23 annual report is here.
In 2024/25, our priorities are to:
Successfully reestablish ourselves as a key community organisation now the disruption of Covid and the restoration works are complete
Deliver a programme of Lottery Funded activities as part of the restoration programme
Promote greater community involvement in the park’s history and ecology
Refresh our model, including the current articles of association and membership model, in order to be more inclusive and representative
If you do not want to commit to being a Trustee but are interested in being more involved in our important and exciting work then we are always looking for active volunteers, so please get in touch.
We look forward to hearing from you at info@abneypark.org. If you’d like an informal chat before applying, please do email us.