Cleeve Common Trust
Participation Officer
Overview
Cleeve Common Trust (CCT) is seeking to contract a Participation Officer to work on a self-employed basis, for up to 16 hours per week.
The post holder will work closely with our current Community Engagement Officer to expand our offer and reach in the local area. It will involve interaction with schools, community organisations, user groups and members of the public to increase participation on Cleeve Common from local and underrepresented groups.
The very small size of the workforce team requires a good deal of flexibility but also offers the opportunity to adapt roles to match the skills and availability of individuals.
About Cleeve Common
With an area of over 400 hectares, Cleeve Common is one of the most extensive areas of agriculturally unimproved limestone grassland in Gloucestershire and an important national resource. It also has areas of acid grassland, heath and small parcels of woodland, and hosts many rare plants and animals. Most of the Common is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for both its botanical and geological interest; it also has significant archaeological sites, including three Scheduled Ancient Monuments. It is situated in the Cotswolds National Landscape (formerly AONB) and includes the Cotswolds’ highest point at 330m.
Grazing is the key method of conservation management. CCT has its own herd of 20-25 Belted Galloway cattle, which live year-round on the Common. Grazing is targeted by means of GPS collars to provide maximum conservation benefit. Holders of Commoners’ rights and other local farmers turn out sheep seasonally.
With a sizeable local population in nearby Cheltenham, Bishop’s Cleeve and other villages, Cleeve Common attracts large numbers of visitors. We estimate that over 100,000 visits per year are made, to engage in a wide range of recreational pursuits including walking, running, golf, horse riding, mountain biking and kite flying. However, we would like to expand opportunities to experience the Common to a more diverse audience.
Each year the Common hosts dozens of organised events, both hosted by us, and by external providers.
Part of our stewardship agreement with Natural England enables us to offer free school trips to students studying farming, conservation and food production. This is an area of work we would like to expand.
Cleeve Common is privately owned but is managed by CCT, a registered charity. The Trustees are supported by a small workforce comprising Rangers, Conservation Officer, Clerk, Business Manager and Community Engagement Officer. We have a close working relationship with the Cotswold Hub (Golf Club), which shares our aim to conserve the Common’s natural environment and ambience. The Hub also provides visitor facilities including car park management.
Responsibilities
The potential scope of the Participation Officer role is outlined below.
A. Formal Outdoor Learning
· Approaching local schools to engage them with outdoor learning on Cleeve Common
· Running school visits on Cleeve Common (with support from the Community Engagement Officer and volunteers where needed)
· Supporting schools with the logistics of visiting, including funding and with partner organisations.
· Reaching out to formal groups (scouting, guiding, cadets, homeschool etc.) to engage them with activities and learning on the Common
· Creating outdoor learning resources
B. Community Outreach
· Researching local informal groups
· Attending relevant local networking events
· Understanding the local population to establish who the underrepresented groups visiting the Common are
· Understanding the barriers to visiting for local people
· Working to address these barriers through discrete projects and in-depth, long-term relationship building in underrepresented communities.
C. Supporting Activities
· With the Community Engagement Officer, rework the current Outdoor Learning pages of the website.
· Rework and expand on-site interpretation panels.
· Further develop downloadable interpreted walks.
Skills Required
Good communication skills, both written and oral, to convey a professional but user-friendly tone.
Some basic IT literacy, such as cloud-based document storage, email and use of apps.
Basic understanding of the National Curriculum.
Experience of working with children, young people or families; experience of working with people with disabilities or additional needs would be a bonus.
Experience of community engagement
Self-motivated and confident to establish and lead partnerships
Confidence in speaking to visiting groups and other audiences.
An understanding of co-creation and the benefits of this approach to community engagement.
Ways of Working
Sessions and events will be delivered on the Common with support, where needed, from the Community Engagement Officer and volunteers. There will be an expectation that the post holder will also visit local schools and community groups. Planning and other administration can be carried out from home. The Trust does not currently have an office but will be allocated desk space in the rebuilt visitor facility on the Golf Clubhouse site.
Terms of Engagement
The post holder will be engaged as a self-employed contractor.
Payment will be against deliverables.
The contract is initially for 12 months but is renewable by mutual agreement.
Initially the working week will be 8 hours, spread flexibly across the week. Over the course of the induction period, some of these hours would need to be on a Monday between 10:30am and 3pm and the occasional Friday. Over time, there is the opportunity to increase the hours to 16 per week if the workload justifies this.
Starting pay will be in the region of £25 per hour, depending on the expertise of the appointed post holder. The rate will be increased in April each year in line with the Consumer Price Index for the previous September.
The working pattern is flexible according to workload, but will need to dovetail with that of the Community Engagement Officer to ensure school and group visits can be accommodated.
Application Process
Further information about the Common can be found on the CCT website: www.cleevecommon.org.uk. Enquiries and expressions of interest should be directed to the Clerk at the email address or telephone number below, who will consult Board members as necessary.
The closing date for applications is 20th March. Please provide a brief CV and covering letter, which should include:
· The skills and experience you have that would qualify you for this role
· Your ideas on how you might engage with communities currently underrepresented in our visitor population
· What your ideal working pattern would be.
Interviews will take place on 24th March. If you need flexibility with the time of interview, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate this. If you are invited to interview, please let us know of any adjustments you may require at the point of accepting the invitation.
Michael Bates, Clerk
07802 44 1987