 |
Barrister Julia Dias explains what is involved in being a trustee of Bromley charity Magpie Dance.
Magpie Dance is a leading contemporary dance charity for learning disabled people based at The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, with a national reputation built over nearly 30 years. It works with over 200 children and adults annually across South East London and beyond, helping them to take an active part in community and artistic life and supporting their personal development through dance and live music. Magpie’s activities fall under three heads:
Participation (adult, youth and community classes and programmes for day service and in-patient clients),
Performance (in addition to regular performances across the region, it is currently setting up a professional dance company for talented learning disabled dancers), and
Training (bespoke training programmes for education, dance and health professionals and the police). It regularly works with a range of partners, including Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, and Oxleas NHS Trust. It is also part of the Linked Consortium with Trinity Laban, Candoco and Greenwich Dance which delivers a programme of participatory dance for young disabled people.
Magpie is looking forward to celebrating its 30th birthday next year, starting with a performance of Flying High at Sadler’s Wells on 16 January 2015.
Charity trustees are the people who serve on the governing body of a charity. They may be known as trustees, directors, board members, governors or committee members. However, their responsibilities and main duties are the same in all cases. Trustees usually volunteer their time and may cover any one of a variety of roles within the charity depending on their personal skills and experience. They have ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of the charity and ensuring that it is solvent, well-run and meets the needs for which it has been set up.
My own background is in the law and my particular role is to chair the sub-committee which deals with governance. This involves making sure that the charity stays within its charitable remit and complies with its Articles and statutory obligations, ensuring that it has appropriate policies and procedures in place which are regularly reviewed, and generally providing an informed view on any legal issues which arise. Unanticipated activities have included running the BUPA 10k this May to raise funds for Magpie, although that was strictly optional!
Other Board members come from a wide range of backgrounds, including the arts, accountancy, communications and the public and private sectors. Each of them brings a different skill-set to the Board and the aim is to achieve and maintain a balance of appropriate expertise among the trustees. For example, at the time of writing, Magpie’s current treasurer is about to retire and we have a vacancy for a trustee treasurer whose job it will be to guide and advise the Board on the approval of the budgets, accounts and financial statements and the financial implications of Magpie’s strategic plans and to keep the Board informed about its statutory financial duties and obligations. More information and an application pack can be obtained from Magpie's General Manager, Laura Graham, 020 8290 6633 or email lauragraham@magpiedance.org.uk.
I have been a trustee of Magpie for over 3 years now and have found it consistently rewarding. From a personal perspective I am glad to have had the opportunity to make a contribution to the voluntary sector, but it goes much further than that. Magpie makes a huge difference to the lives of those it reaches in a sector which is often overlooked. Being able with my fellow-trustees to guide the charity through difficult financial times so that it can help even more learning disabled people while at the same time not losing sight of its core values and ethos is an end in itself.
