New board member needed for Best Adventure Playground in London - finance background

Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground is looking for a new board member with a background in accounting to join our team as we enter a new and exciting phase of fundraising to help secure the future of this beloved playspace.

We are looking for a trustee to join our team with the skills needed to work with our core staff to help manage our accounts and spending activities. The role requires knowledge of Quickbooks and 1-2 hours/week max to oversee effective categorisation and classes.

About us:

For over 45 years, Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground, an independently run registered charity (no.1156526), offers unaccompanied 6-16 year olds a free safe space to experience outdoor physical play including healthy risk taking, and free childcare for their parents and carers. We won Best Adventure Playground in London 2023 :)

We sit between one of the wealthiest and most deprived neighbourhoods in Hackney and attract hard to reach socio-economic backgrounds and neurodiverse needs. Some quick stats from 2023: 588 unique young people, 3700 visits total; free hot lunches - 60% to young people on free school meals

We see ourselves as community builders and work with local schools, youth clubs and young offenders via community payback scheme.

Current priority:

Our beautiful wooden perimeter fence is 45 years old and falling down and it is a major expense upwards of £300K to replace with like for like. Without a similar structure we risk changing what makes our play space so unique and attractive to young people. Our ambition is to turn this expensive necessity into an opportunity to enhance not only the playground but the community.

Thanks to funding from Arts Council England, we ran child-led co-design play sessions to inspire our young visitors to imagine a playable structure that doubles as a boundary, aka the PlayFence.

We have already secured enough funding to build the first part of the fence through private donations, corporate funding and fundraising events and we have just launched a JustGiving campaign to crowdfund towards the next side.

Accounting (including Quickbooks), Finance, forecasting, budgeting

This is a vital role as we are a small charity and we need the ability to forecast or understand our spending patterns so we can grow as a charity, and help secure funding sources. We are a young and dynamic group of trustees and staff, ready to roll up our sleeves and do whatever it takes to protect this vital resource for young people. Your role will help us better manage the figures, and see the bigger picture for how we can make every pound work harder.

The benefits of this project along with future proofing this vital space, are far reaching and most notably include:

Employability: creating apprenticeships and including regular SWAPA young people in the project. This offers design, problem solving, building/construction experience - all confidence boosting transferable life skills for young people to succeed

Mental Health & Wellbeing: securing free access to the best outdoor play experiences across diverse socio-economic backgrounds

Neurodiversity: providing space for young people to explore and develop on their own terms with inclusive support

Thoughts from our community and young people:

"You gave me so many compelling reasons why SWAPA deserves all the support and funding it needs to take it to another level, and your vision and reach in the community is so impressive." - Local resident and donor

"SWAPA makes me feel free" - Child, Regular Attendee, 12

"I definitely wouldn't be the person that I am today without SWAPA. I feel like I would have got caught up in the system, somehow. These places are definitely needed" - Former attendee, Harley, 19

"SWAPA is a lifeline for working parents. Kids need somewhere to let off steam instead of staring at a screen" - Parent of child, 10

Please apply through Reach in the first instance. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete our additional application form.