Help shape the future of a small charity with big impact
We are the Military Wives Choirs. We connect nearly 2000 women in the military community and create a support network through the power of singing. This year we celebrate our 10th Anniversary and to mark the occasion we are hosting a series of cathedral concerts, bringing together choirs from across the UK and beyond.
We’re seeking a Legal Trustee to join our Board and help lead the charity as we celebrate our tenth anniversary year and look to the future. We’re looking for someone with demonstrable strategic legal and regulatory risk management experience and ideally a passion for music and wellbeing.
Our values
- Unspoken understanding: Our shared experiences of military life inform the way we look after one another
- Ongoing support: We value time for ourselves and enjoy our time with each other
- Musical inclusivity: It’s not about being able to sing, it’s about being there to sing
- Wellbeing through singing: We create choirs that bond us together and allow us to share unique achievements and experiences
- Diverse community: We welcome all women whose lives are currently impacted by their military connection
What we do & why we exist
The Military Wives Choirs is a community of nearly 2000 women in over 70 choirs across the UK and internationally. We come together to celebrate a love of singing
and a communal understanding that comes from our members’ shared experiences of the Armed Forces. We welcome all women whose lives are currently impacted by their military connection; our network supports each other and forms life-changing friendships that lead to new and uplifting experiences through singing. Military life across the services has its challenges. Some families move regularly to a new posting, while for others deployments mean long periods of separation. With choirs across the UK and overseas, many of our members join a new choir when they are posted, enabling them to become part of a familiar community built upon the joy of singing.
Singing in a choir has been proven to increase wellbeing and improve mental and physical health. With no auditions and no pressure to perform, the Military Wives Choirs gives its members the opportunity to spend time with women that truly understand the challenges associated with military life.
Each of our choirs meets weekly and has a busy calendar of community events and performances. This activity is enhanced by exciting national-scale activity, including
concert tours, albums, media appearances and larger projects. All of the charity’s activity is supported and managed by the small central staff team, the Choirs Support
Team.
The charity works closely with its Artistic Director, Hilary Davan Wetton, and a number of Ambassadors from the industry, including soprano Laura Wright. It’s an exciting time to join the charity as we welcome a new Director at the end September and we’re looking to create a new strategy too. And our 10thAnniversary concert continues through to the end of October, with performances in Exeter (24 September) and Edinburgh (29 October)
As both an independent charity and subsidiary of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, we work collaboratively with SSAFA in their mission to provide support to our Forces
and their families.
Being a Trustee at the Military Wives Choirs
Every charity has a Board of Trustees – a group of volunteers who ensure that the charity is effective in carrying out the purpose for which it was set up. Trustees have responsibility for overseeing the work of the charity, ensuring it is financially stable, well-run and fulfilling its charitable obligations. The Military Wives Choirs Trustees have a range of expertise, and currently meet six times a year, in addition to being a member of a relevant subcommittee/s. Trustees are also expected to attend events, including performances and donor networking events.
It is important that our Trustees experience our music-making to gain an insight into the impact our work has on individual choir members – plus it’s an incredibly
rewarding experience to hear them sing live, whether that’s locally or on a national stage.
You do not necessarily need to have any previous experience of being a Trustee, although we do welcome those who do. In essence, we’re looking for people who:
• Are passionate about the work of the Military Wives Choirs
• Can think strategically, critically and maintain confidentiality
• Are committed to and knowledgeable about equality, diversity and inclusion
• Can speak about the link between music and wellbeing and how it can benefit women whose lives are currently impacted by their military connection
• Are willing to regularly engage with the work of the Military Wives Choirs, attending events and performances
Who we’re looking for – Legal Trustee
Essential skills and experience
Our Legal Trustee will contribute to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the charity by providing legal, regulatory and governance advice to the Board and senior stakeholders, ensuring that the charity operates in line with legal and regulatory requirements, and supporting the Director in all legal and regulatory matters. The Legal Trustee is Chair of the Governance Committee. We are looking for a qualified lawyer in English law, with experience in an advisory or compliance role within an organisation, and more specifically:
• A formal qualification as a lawyer
• Experience in advising and leading on legal matters within an organisation
• Experience in advising on compliance/regulatory matters and general commercial contracts
• Understanding of the legal responsibilities and liabilities of a trustee
• Ability to operate at both strategic and practical levels
• Integrity and good/independent judgement
• Ability to take decisions for the good of the Military Wives Choirs
• Willingness to speak one’s mind and listen to the views of others
• An ability to work effectively as a member of a team
• Are willing to play an active role in supporting our fundraising activities, including the acquisition and engagement of major donors
• Willingness to commit the necessary time and effort to being a trustee
• Commitment to and understanding of the vision and values of the Military Wives Choirs
Desirable skills and experience
• Knowledge of the military community
• Experience of the charity sector
• Experience of the arts industry
• Knowledge and understanding of charity governance including GDPR and Safeguarding
How to apply
For a trustee information pack, please email Erron Wahyu, Finance & Administration Assistant, at ewahyu@militarywiveschoirs.org
To apply, please send the following to Maggie Pedder, Chair of Trustees, at mpedder@militarywiveschoirs.org:
• Your CV
• A4 covering letter, outlining your interest in the Military Wives Choirs, your key qualities and expertise and why you would like to join us.
If you would like to discuss the Legal Trustee role before applying, please contact Bryony Johnson at bjohnson@militarywiveschoirs.org
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 26 September.
Interviews will take place on Wednesday 5 October.
Diversity and equal opportunities
We support and value the importance of diversity in driving the best outcomes for our choir members and as an organisation with inclusivity at its heart, we welcome
all applications.
