Trustee Opportunity (Voluntary) – Finance Specialist

Horticap is an award winning charity based in its own nurseries in Harrogate.  Established in 1984, our primary function is to train our students, all of whom are adults with learning disabilities, in horticulture.

We aim to provide students with a supportive and friendly working environment both on-site, and off-site when undertaking commercial garden maintenance work in the local community.  We help to develop students´ social and communication abilities and help students extend their knowledge and skills.  We do this through structured training using professionally qualified staff and volunteers.

We have a café (Hopkins) and shop; our gardens and nature trail area are open to the public free of charge. These facilities provide additional training in retail, craft and life skills for our students.

We have a dedicated team of instructors, retail and hospitality staff led by our General Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of operational delivery.

The Trustee Board is a small group of experienced and dedicated individuals whose role, individually and collectively is to:

• formulate Horticap’s strategic direction;
• ensure the delivery of our strategic plan through our General Manager and the team;
• manage and provide support to the employed team as and when necessary.

We are currently looking to strengthen our Trustee Board and are looking for someone with senior level Financial Management experience, ideally gained in a service, retail or charity environment.  Just as importantly, they will show a commitment to the development and support of adults with learning disabilities.

Formal board meetings are currently held quarterly, with informal meetings held monthly between the formal boards. In addition, Trustees contribute their time depending on the needs of the charity and their particular specialism.

Our Patron, Alan Titchmarsh, has said, “Using gardening as a means of enriching lives is something I have valued all my life; Horticap is living proof that it can transform lives.”

This is your opportunity to contribute to a successful local charity with a strong ethic for the benefit of others. If interested, please send your CV with a covering letter to info@horticap.org.