Harrow Cycle Hub

Trustee Legal Skills - Cycling Charity

Available
Hybrid
0-5 hours / month
1-3 hours / week

Harrow Cycle Hub is a volunteer-led charity which aims to enable everyone in Harrow to cycle, who wants to. If you are a solicitor or barrister who cares about cycling and wants to use your analytical skills to support the charity's decision-making and development, please get in touch.

What will you be doing?

Our board includes people with skills in accountancy, civil engineering, disability, policy, charity leadership, public health and IT. Harrow Council nominates a representative - currently the Council's Leader - to the Board. The board works closely with our Steering Group which runs our operations. This Group has one part-time Project Manager for our Wheels for All inclusive service and 11 volunteers covering roles such as volunteering, mechanics, coaching, membership and communications. Overall more than 50 volunteers support our work. Our qualified coaches have been teaching people to cycle - mostly women of Global Majority communities - and running a successful inclusive cycling programme, for the past five years at the former Civic Centre. We also support an extensive programme of group rides led by qualified volunteers. We are now moving, with the Council's support, to permanent premises on Kenton Recreation Ground. We'd like the trustee with legal skills to join our Development Committee which is working with the Council on the move. Our pro bono solicitors A&O Shearman are acting for us on the lease; the trustee would manage that relationship. Once installed on the new site we shall be able to increase our reach and offer new services, so the trustee will play a big part in enabling our expansion. We are committed to equality and diversity and want our board to reflect the people we serve.

What are we looking for?

We're looking for a solicitor or barrister with commercial experience, who cares about cycling and believes that it can help change people's lives. Ideally you will live or work in or near Harrow, understand the barriers to cycling faced by our communities and be passionate about breaking them down. You don't have to be a sporty or competitive cyclist - you might just enjoy getting out on your bike. You do need to be prepared to attend meetings, preferably in person in Harrow; to become familiar with our work, get to know other trustees and our amazing staff and volunteers and support them by attending some events and activities. You need to be committed to the Hub's vision and mission; have good analytical and evaluation skills; understanding and acceptance of the responsibilities of a trustee; communication skills; a team-oriented approach to problem-solving; commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion; and willingness to speak your mind, even on a difficult topic.

What difference will you make?

As our trustee with legal skills you will help the Hub to achieve the best possible outcome with regard to the tenure of our new site. You will safeguard our position and ensure that the board stewards the charity's resources in the best interests of the people we support. As a small charity we need to ensure that we minimise risk and you will play an important part in achieving this. Since our founding in 2021 we have developed a cycling community in Harrow, a car-dominated borough where many people, especially women, never had the chance to cycle as children. You will help to develop a cycling culture and remove barriers to the enjoyment of cycling.

Additional information

You can download the following documents:

Harrow Cycle Hub Examined Accounts YE 31.12.24.pdf
Vision Statement Harrow Cycle Hub Nov23.pdf

Before you apply

We'd love to hear from you if you're a lawyer who cares about cycling and wants to enable everyone in Harrow who wants to cycle, to do so. Please send your cv and a covering letter explaining why you are interested in the role. Two trustees will meet you informally to discuss your interest. If you'd still like to apply, we'll ask you to meet the Chair and then complete an application form. If all progresses well we'll invite you to observe a trustees' meeting, a Steering Group meeting and then co-opt you. This will be subject to election at the following Annual General Meeting, normally in March. We'll ask you for two references and conduct an Enhanced DBS check at the Hub's expense.

Opportunity reference number: 1289737