Community Association Volunteer

This is an exciting opportunity to get involved with the formation of a new community association that will reshape the way the Jubilee Centre is run so it best meets the needs of people living in Lakenham today. At a recent open day, local people said they'd like to see the centre open to the public on a more regular basis and would like to see new activities there, including:

• Cookery lessons
• Arts and crafts clubs
• Jumble sales
• Local history groups
• A community choir

The need for a new association has come about because the two remaining community association volunteers are stepping down after 25 years' service.

Being a community association volunteer is a challenging but rewarding role. It's a great opportunity for personal growth and for adding new skills to your CV, as well as building a network of new contacts within the community.

The community association volunteers are trustees of the Jubilee Centre Community Association, which is a registered charity (please visit the Charity Commission website for more details - charity number 292764). The board of trustees are there to oversee the running of the charity, make key decisions and set a strategy or plan. Within the board, individual trustees will take on specific roles, including Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.

At the moment, association volunteers are also responsible for the day to day operation of the centre, including:

• Taking room bookings from community groups and individuals by email, phone and in person.
• Supervising the cleaning staff.
• Making sure utility bills are paid on time and sending out invoices.
• Liasing with contractors from Norwich City Council and other partner organisations who maintain the building.
• Working with Norwich City Council to ensure the centre meets health and safety standards.

However, there is scope for a new association to introduce new ways of doing things by updating processes, automating booking systems and restructuring roles.

It's important to point out that a new association would not be going it alone. Norwich City Council owns the centre and the NCC Community Enabling team will provide on-going support and advice to the association, including access to a community venues network so you can build links with people in a similar role at other centres in the city, training opportunities specific to your role, as well as help sourcing and applying for external funding to start new projects.

We would love to hear from people who:

• Live in Lakenham (although we'd also be pleased to hear from people who live further afield!)
• Are passionate about building strong and inclusive communities where nobody is left behind.

These skills and experience would be helpful but absolutely not essential in doing this role:

• IT skills, including social media
• Being on a committee
• Financial skills (in relation to community groups or small charities)
• Running a community venue
• Admin skills

We look forward to hearing from you! If you have any questions about this role, please do get in touch - we'd be happy to have a chat!