Meet the Team

Carole Longden

Founder and CEO

Hannah Train

Co-Founder & Trustee

Tom Donnison

Operations Manager

Laura Daniels

Corporate Events Coordinator

Dawn McCarroll

Green Therapy Gardeniser

Lani Dines

Trustee

Bruno Mason

Volunteer

Martin Dempster

Corporate Events Coordinator

Wil Hepworth

Trustee

Mark Drummond

Station Garden Supervisor

Rosemarie Gardner

Corporate Engagement Lead

Jon Knight

Horticultural Specialist

David Ball

Harvest Share Volunteer

Ian Burrows

Trustee

Daniel Joyce

Volunteer

Peter Shum

Wellbeing Walk Leader

We are hiring - Trustees !

Purpose

The finance trustee's role is to ensure the charity is financially stable and accountable to its donors and stakeholders. They also help the board make strategic decisions. 

Contact carolelongden@forestofhearts.com or call 07774 424404 to apply.

Chair of Trustees

We are looking to recruit an experienced charity trustee who can help us to steer the direction for the next 10 years whilst ensuring strong and sound governance.

The chair of trustees for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) foundation charity leads the board, ensuring effective governance and strategic direction. They oversee board meetings, support the chief executive, and represent the charity publicly. The chair also ensures the board focuses on long-term goals and complies with legal and regulatory requirements, including the charity's governing document. 

Key Responsibilities of the Chair:

  • Leading the Board:

    The chair presides over trustee meetings, setting the agenda and facilitating discussions to ensure effective decision-making. 

  • Supporting the Chief Executive:

    The chair provides guidance and support to the chief executive or head of staff, acting as a point of contact between the board and staff. 

  • Strategic Direction:

    The chair ensures the board focuses on long-term strategic goals, setting the charity's direction and monitoring progress against plans. 

  • Governance and Compliance:

    The chair promotes high standards of governance, transparency, and accountability, ensuring the charity complies with its governing document and relevant laws and regulations. 

  • Public Representation:

    The chair may represent the charity at external events, meetings, or in the media. 

  • Ensuring Effective Decision Making:

    The chair ensures that board decisions are carried out and takes urgent action when necessary between meetings. 

Lead Safeguarding Trustee

Responsibilities

The lead trustee for safeguarding usually takes on three main sets of duties related to safeguarding in addition to their wider responsibilities as a trustee.

Strategic

  • Consider the organisation’s strategic plans and make sure they reflect safeguarding legislation, regulations specific to our activities, statutory guidance, and the safeguarding expectations of the Charities Commission.

  • Work with the CEO and designated safeguarding lead regularly to review whether the things the organisation has put in place are creating a safer culture and keeping people safe.

  • Check the organisation’s risk register reflects safeguarding risks properly and plans sensible measures to take, including relevant insurance for trustees liability.

Effective policy and practice

  • Make sure there is an annual review of safeguarding policies and procedures and that this is reported to trustees.

  • Ensure policies and procedures are effective.

  • Call for audits of qualitative and quantitative data (either internal or external) when they’re needed.

  • Learn from case reviews locally and nationally, to improve your organisation’s policies, procedures and practices.

  • Oversee safeguarding allegations against staff or volunteers, together with CEO and designated safeguarding lead.

  • Be a point of contact for staff or volunteers if someone wishes to complain about a lack of action in relation to safeguarding concerns.

Creating the right culture

  • Champion safeguarding throughout the organisation.

  • Support the trustees in developing their individual and collective understanding of safeguarding.

  • Attend meetings, activities, projects to engage with staff, volunteers and beneficiaries to understand safeguarding on the ground.

  • Work with the chair, CEO, designated safeguarding lead and communications team in order to manage all serious safeguarding cases.

  • Support regular safeguarding updates for staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.

  • Make sure you have ways of gathering the views of staff and volunteers in relation to safeguarding and sharing these with the board.