The iconic Windmill on Wimbledon Common has been the hub of the community for over 250 years. The CIO board is seeking an enthusiastic, energetic trustee to help celebrate our heritage and drive the museum's strategic development.
Due to recent trustee retirement, there is an opportunity to join the board of the Wimbledon Windmill Museum CIO at an exciting time in its development. The museum, which is housed in the iconic 250-year old windmill, charts the evolution of wind power in grinding cereals into flour. It is the only museum in the UK dedicated to this theme which is brought to life over two floors through a series of exceptional working models. It is particularly popular with families with the facility for children to make their own flour. It is a key destination for many school visits throughout the year and we also offer pre-booked guided tours at a nominal price.
The museum offers free entry at weekends during British Summer Time and is staffed entirely by volunteers. We are therefore dependent on revenue from donations and gift shop sales to cover our running costs. With this in mind, the Board decided in 2022 to focus on creating a strategy for the future development of the museum and formulated this work with valuable assistance from Heritage Compass. The core strategic pillars of our vision for the future are summarised graphically on page 2 of the supporting document which also sets out the key responsibilities involved in being a trustee of the museum.
In short we need an individual with a passion for heritage and the energy to drive the museum forward. We do not have a separate management team so, in addition to attending around 6 board meetings per year, our trustees play an active role in the various operational aspects of running the museum. These include fund-raising, recruiting and organising our volunteer teams, promoting the museum, leading education and private tours, developing a programme of external community talks, monitoring finance, or facilities management.
We are extremely keen to increase the age spread and diversity of our visitors, so would welcome candidates who would reflect this in the make-up of the CIO board. Proximity to the museum would also be ideal but not mandatory.
Key duties
The key duties of a trustee are as follows, acting as a team member in collaboration with the other trustees
Person specification
Essential requirements
As a volunteer-run charity it is vital that every trustee plays an active role. We have already identified several initiatives that could empower us in delivering against our strategic goals - we need an individual with the passion and energy to drive these forward and help develop new ways to maximise the value the museum can bring to the community.
There is no formal application form to complete. However, we would like to have an indication of the applicant's motivation for wishing to become a trustee, together with a current CV. They will then be contacted by the Chairman of the CIO within 5 working days of receipt of their application for an informal discussion via Zoom or similar. Based on this, a formal face-to-face meeting with at least three trustees would be arranged if both parties felt it appropriate.
