The Wessex Foundation & Trustees

The Magdalen project is a part of the Wessex Foundation. The Wessex Foundation is a registered charity (Charity No 1002373) and is governed by a board of Trustees. Our current board is made up of people from all walks of life and backgrounds and offer a variety of skills to the Board.

The Board of Trustees meets formally four times a year for approximately 5 hours each meeting. Between meetings, Trustees receive briefing notes and participate in informal contact and decision making as well as taking part on an ad hoc basis in working parties on specific issues. The procedures by which the trustees adhere to are set out in an organisation's governing document, the Memorandum and Articles of Association

Roles of Wessex Foundation Trustees

To support and champion the objects and values of the Wessex Foundation charity
To provide support and direction for the Director and other staff of the organisation
To link the Wessex Foundation and its work with both the local and a wider community
To ensure that the affairs of the Foundation are carried out in accordance with the law governing charitable companies
To appoint, as honorary officers of the Board, Chair, Treasurer and Secretary
To form and sit on specific ad hoc working parties on specific issues as determined by the Board

Responsibilities of Trustees

Trustees are the voting members of the senior supervisory body of a charity. Their role is to:

Give direction to the organisation: establish goals and priorities, agree the framework of policy and strategy within which staff will work and monitor and review progress.
Ensure that volunteers and staff are being used to best effect via supervision, appraisal and development as individuals and/or teams.
Ensure accountability and proper reporting on activities and use of resources to interest groups or stakeholders.
Keep the organisation legal by operating according to company and charitable law and the organisation's governing documents.
Ensure that resources (money and property) are used in line with the objects and purpose of the organisation and are administered properly and efficiently. Trustees are responsible for the financial condition of the organisation and its assets. They decide spending priorities and they can enter into contracts.
Make sure the board functions well, that meetings are effective, decisions are made and members participate fully.

Why become a Trustee?

People become trustees for a number of reasons including:

A wish to increase confidence and develop managerial skills (particularly under-represented groups)
A wish for continued involvement in decision making and use of professional skills (often important for retired people)
A wish to develop work skills and experience in the public arena
An over-riding personal motivation, personal belief or commitment to the work of the organisation

Not everyone is eligible to be a trustee. Those who are undischarged bankrupts, or previously removed or disqualified from charity trustee boards or boards of companies or those under 18 cannot be trustees.

Every organisation has different procedures for nomination and election. In the case of registered companies, (see below).

Recruitment and Needs

The Foundation is specifically seeking Trustees with expertise and experience in the following areas:

Agriculture and organic farming
Finance (with the potential to act as Treasurer for the Foundation)
Education and informal/out of school learning
Links to the local community.

If you would like to join our board of trustees please contact us for an information pack and application form.

Existing Trustees for the Wessex Foundation

Tim Loasby

After agricultural college Tim spent 18 years working on commercial farms in the Midlands before moving to Dorset in 1983 to start teaching at Kingston Maurward College. For the last 20 years he has been training countryside rangers and wardens at all levels and ages. He specialises in using livestock for conservation management, landscape history and environmental education and interpretation. He is a Blue Badge guide for the South West and sometimes helps with the technical bits on the Archers. He enjoys building and sailing wooden boats.

Peter Darch

Peter has recently retired after a career in psychology, initially lecturing and then managing staff development, training and support in Further Education before establishing a private practice in psychotherapy working with individuals and groups. As a young man he qualified as a forester with the Forestry Commission and then worked for a period in Canada with a forestry consultancy. He has had a lifelong interest in natural history and has been a member of various wildlife conservation organisations carrying out survey and management work and giving talks.

Robert Shearer

Robert is a retired surgeon who has lived in Winsham for 17 years, and is (almost) Magdalen's nearest neighbour. He has a longstanding interest in the environment and sustainability, is a member of the RSPB and Somerset Wildlife Trust and has recently been awarded a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Studies from the Open University. Robert is Chair of Governors of Winsham Primary School and is keen to foster links between Magdalen and the local community. He recognises the unique nature of Magdalen's partnership between education, conservation and sustainable farming and hopes to be able to contribute to developing and strengthening that partnership.