SRS Trustee Recruitment
Suffolk Refugee Support have been providing advice, advocacy and practical support to asylum seekers and refugees in Suffolk since 1999 through wide ranging and innovative services, including a drop-in advice service, support groups for women, specialist refugee resettlement programme casework, ESOL tuition, a Skills Exchange programme, and sport and advice services for young people. Many of our services continue to be delivered during the Covid-19 pandemic through online and telephone contact, making sure that people continue to have the support and advice that they rely on from Suffolk Refugee Support.
We are currently looking for a number of Trustees to join the Board. We are especially looking for people who have experience in the areas of finance, legal, HR or IT. Please don’t be put off if you don’t have these specific skills, but they would be a strong advantage.
Suffolk Refugee Support has a proven track record of delivering much needed services and we need a strong Board with a wide range of skills to lead the policy direction and support the staff to continue delivering these high quality services.
In return for your time (at minimum, two hours every second Thursday evening of the month), we offer you a great team to join and the satisfaction and joy of knowing that your actions and dedication have made people’s lives better.
You can download an application form and Equality Monitoring form below, or contact the Board Secretary and ask for an application form by emailing trusteesecretary@suffolkrefugee.org.uk. Please also find below links to our equality statement and our latest Annual Report.
The closing date for applications is 22nd December, with interviews for potential applicants to be carried out in January. Please be aware this may be via Zoom!
Anyone interested in becoming a Trustee is invited to apply using the form below:
Trustee Offer to Serve Form
Equality Monitoring Form
Equality & Diversity Statement
Annual Report
Our current trustees bring a wealth of experience from the private, public, voluntary and academic sectors:
Gerry Toplis (chair since July 2020) has worked in social services as a social worker, commissioner and senior manager. He also worked for the NHS across the east of England, focusing on mental health and learning disability issues.
Dr Keith Faull (vice chair and treasurer) has worked in both social services and the NHS for many years as both a social worker and a family psychotherapist. He is particularly interested in the mental health of children and young people.
Maggie Barradell (secretary) has worked in community development in both the voluntary and political sectors. Having run a busy MP’s office, she is currently focusing on her artwork and renovating an old house.
Kevin Clements has spent 15 years building fundraising and marketing teams for causes including hospices, neurological care, mental health and scientific research. He is currently Executive Director of Fundraising & Communications at Depaul, a national homelessness charity, and a member of the Institute of Fundraising.
Meg Day
Greg Dodds has worked in housing for over 20 years in various capacities for both housing associations and local authorities and is currently Assistant Director of Development at Orwell Housing Association. He also currently volunteers with SRS.
Desiree Jones is a fluent Arabic speaker experienced in translation, teaching ESOL, and facilitating understanding between cultures. She intends to pursue higher education and a career in social services.
Ian Stewart was chair of Suffolk Refugee Support from 2007 to June 2020. Previously he worked in Social Services and the NHS. He chaired a community project in Islington and is former chair and current attendee of Suffolk Healthwatch BME group.
Danielle Waller works within the NGO sector on large scale programme design, service delivery and grant management initiatives. She specialises in youth-led development and participatory programming at community level.
Alan Blackshaw (honorary trustee) spent most of his career in social work education. He was a founder trustee of SRS in 2000, and has been treasurer and chair of the Human Resources sub-committee.
Beteja Grajqevci Dovao (honorary trustee)
Jenny Morcom Jnr (honorary trustee)