Harescombe Village has two active charities that exist to help provide support for parishioners. The full details of the charities are detailed on the charity pages of the parish council website. Potential applicants are actively encouraged to appraise themselves of the charities' aims and objectives, as detailed within the relevant webpages.

The parish council has a responsibility to select and appoint three volunteer trustees every four years. These trustees will be joined by the prevailing vicar for Harescombe as a fourth trustee.

Applications are sought from parishioners who are interested in fulfilling one of the three volunteer vacancies for trustee positions for the charities. Interested parishioners who are 18 or over are asked to submit an application of no more then 250 words detailing why they would like to be considered for the position of voluntary trustee, and what they feel they could bring to the role. The appointment of trustees is essential to ensure that the charities can continue to function, and support to villagers.

Applications should be submitted by email to the Clerk to the Parish Council at [email protected]

The deadline for applications has been set as 31st December 2025. Applications will be considered and decided upon in a confidential part of the parish council's next meeting that takes place on Monday 12th January 2026.

The role profile is as follows,

Applicants should,

• be 18 years or over,
• reside within the parish,
• have an intent to stand for at least 4 years,
• take part in an annual election to appoint a chairperson from within the existing trustees,
• participate in the nomination of a clerk (paid or unpaid and can be a trustee if unpaid),
• agree on meeting frequency (at least 2 per year but if there are no applications in a year there would only need to be 1) and agenda circulation,
• agree on the format of minutes, circulation timescales, opportunity to amend draft minutes before sign-off,
• have an awareness of their legal obligation to maintain proper accounting records and prepare annual accounts and annual trustee reports (preparation and completion will be by the clerk),
• be willing to be an online banking signatory and payment authoriser,
• make local residents aware of the charities,
• establish and maintain a clear process for grant approvals, including application forms and timely application circulation to all trustees,
• have an awareness of Charity Commission requirements, and a good working knowledge of the specific charity governance requirements.