Trustee vacancy for Charity/ Company Secretary
We are looking for an experienced Charity/Company Secretary to join the trustee board of this London-based expanding charity, bringing live classical music to children who might not otherwise experience it. This is a great opportunity to join a dynamic music education charity, helping to guide the next exciting phase of its journey.
What will you be doing?
Overall
The secretary has a key role, together with the Chair, of organising the meetings and ensuring the general smooth running of the charity.
- ensure that trustee meetings are properly administered
- ensure other meetings, such as the AGM, and events are properly administered
- monitor trustee and staff action points arising from meetings
- ensure that requirements of Companies House are met, and that list of Directors at Companies House is kept up-to-date
- ensure that annual returns are made to regulatory bodies as appropriate, on time, and in the correct format
Specifically Trustee Meetings
- Plan and prepare the trustee meetings and the AGM with others as appropriate.
- Planning meeting dates, booking venues, sending out notifications, minutes and other papers.
- Liaise with the Chair of Trustees to form agenda; gather papers from Treasurer, CEO, Fundraising Officer (and others depending on agenda); send out agenda and supporting papers two weeks before the meeting. This should include minutes from the previous meeting.
- Minute trustee meetings or ensure that another minute taker is available. Write them up and circulate for comment asap after the meeting. Prepare final version for approval and signature at next meeting.
- Gather paperwork for AGM to include: Chair’s review, Trustee Report and Accounts (3 copies for signing – Companies House, Independent Examiner, AMP). One trustee has to resign and is re-elected each AGM, in rotation – so agree with Chair who this is in advance.
Company Secretary
- Keep details of Directors (Trustees) up to date with Companies House and on Charity Commission websites
- Send a signed copy of Trustee Reports and Accounts to Companies House
- File annual confirmation statement with Companies House
What are we looking for?
We are looking to strengthen our board by appointing new trustees to help us in our next stage of growth and development. We have a specific requirement for an experienced Charity and/or Company Secretary to work with our new Chair in ensuring the smooth running of the organisation and fulfil our legal and administrative requirements as a charity and incorporated company.
Currently, our Board is eight strong and the majority have been with Apollo for less than two years, so we're full of ideas and energy. To ensure the longer-term sustainability of Apollo we need to expand our reach beyond our current operating base of a few London boroughs. We will need to market ourselves into new areas, within London and beyond, and this will require investment in staff; broadening our fundraising base; securing longer-term funding; and developing a new operating model to manage our activities.
In Trustees, we look for people who are passionate about what we do; who can contribute to our expansion plans; and who can challenge our current thinking and processes in a constructive way.
In summary, we are at a pivotal point in our journey and we are seeking motivated and dedicated Trustees who are willing to give their time to ensure that the Charity can reach a much broader audience of children in London and beyond. As a Board, we meet four times a year, and your primary role as Charity Secretary will be ensuring the effective running of those meetings. As a Trustee you will naturally share a collective responsibility to ensure that Apollo sticks to its mission; is financially sound; and continues to add value across the areas it works.
What is most important is that you get what we do and have the passion and willingness to contribute towards our mission and longer-term expansion plans.
As an experienced charity and/or company secretary you will:
- be organised, methodical and have an attention to detail
- be able to take good minutes and keep accurate records
- have knowledge of company law relating to the Company Secretary's role
Apollo Music Projects is committed to building a board which is reflective of the communities it serves. Applications are particularly welcome from candidates from minority ethnic backgrounds.
What difference will you make?
Your impact will be contributing to the next stage of Apollo's growth and as charity secretary, you will play a key role in ensuring the effective operation of the board of trustees during this exciting time of expansion.
Moving beyond our established base presents some significant challenges. The expansion strategy raises questions about our approach to fundraising; our ability to market ourselves; as well as how we develop our operating model. You will be joining the Board as we begin this journey and will play a key role in ensuring we navigate through these challenges effectively.
We are not looking for trustees to help us stay where we are. We're looking for trustees who can support us in taking Apollo to the next stage.
What's in it for the volunteer?
What we do makes a difference to children. We open their minds to new experiences and at the end of the programme, children are able to sit through an orchestral concert and be inspired and mesmerised by what they see and hear. In 2018/19 we operated in 26 schools in London, concentrated predominantly in the boroughs of Hackney, Islington, Tower Hamlets and Haringey. There is no reason why we should 'stick to our patch' - what we offer is unique. This is an opportunity to get involved in a charity with an enthusiastic and committed Board of Trustees, keen to make their mark.
Before you apply
Welcome to our new Chair of Trustees
We are delighted to announce that Jo Boswell has succeeded Simon Smith as Chair of Trustees. Jo is a fantastic addition to the AMP board, and has the ideal background and experience to help guide Apollo Music Projects in the next exciting stage of our development."It is a privilege to step up to the role of Chair of Apollo Music Projects. In the short time that I’ve been involved with the charity I’ve been hugely impressed with the impact the programme has had on the schools involved, as well as the dedication of the small team involved in running this. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience on the trustee board, and I look forward to working with them and the Apollo team as we expand our reach to more schools and children. I would like to pay tribute to retiring trustees, Simon Smith and Peter Brunner, who have both played an important role in the charity’s expansion journey so far."
Thank you to our retiring trustees!
We want to say a huge Thank You to two Trustees who are stepping down from the AMP board. Simon Smith has been a fantastic Chair and Trustee for the past three years, and will be greatly missed for his clear thinking and passion for what we do. Peter Brunner has been a Trustee for 7 years, and has helped guide us from the small charity he joined to the thriving organisation he leaves. Many many thanks to both."I remain as passionate about what Apollo does and achieves as the day I started, which makes stepping down hard. But having worked with my successor as Chair, the incumbent Trustees and interviewed both new Trustees I know Apollo has the right leadership and Trustees to support the next stage of its journey." Simon Smith"I am certain that Apollo, under your guidance, has a very bright future, in whichever direction it expands, and I look forward to supporting it as a friend over the years to come. There cannot be many similar charities with such an excellent and committed board of trustees." Peter Brunner
Welcome to our new Schools Administrator
We are pleased to announce that Dorothy Hoskins has joined our team as Schools Administrator. We very much look forward to working with Dorothy who is a great asset to the team.
New schools for 2019-20
We are delighted to announce our first primary school in Brent, Salusbury Primary School. It is part of our exciting programme for 2019-20, including 23 primary and special schools returning to the programme and 5 further schools new to the programme. Other schools joining this year are Morningside, Gayhurst and Kingsmead primary schools in Hackney and St. Luke's CE and St. Margaret's primary schools in Camden. We still have a few places remaining for new schools, so please contact us if you are interested in taking part.
Kanneh-Masons visit Kanneh-Mason Class!
A wonderful occasion as Braimah and Konya Kanneh-Mason, our newest Apollo Associate Artists, visited London Fields Primary School to play to KS2, including Year 4 Kanneh-Mason class! The children were understandably thrilled at meeting their heroes and were an amazing audience. The children wrote delightful letters to Braimah and Konya: "You have made me as happy as I can be. I thought music wasn't my thing, but when I saw you, you inspired me so now I want to do piano and violin." Thanks to both wonderful artists for an amazing and inspiring afternoon.
Join us at Hackney Empire!
We are inviting schools who are not currently participating in our programme to come and see us in action! A special concert designed for school children in Key Stage 2 will take place on Tuesday 11th June 2019 at 13.30. The concert will be at Hackney Empire, a beautiful venue in East London and will last one hour.
If you are a teacher or parent from a school which you feel would benefit from the experience of seeing a full symphony orchestra perform, do get in touch! We want everyone to be able to experience the excitement of hearing an inspiring concert of music by Schumann and Mendelssohn in a prestigious concert hall. Tickets are being offered at the subsidised cost of £2 per ticket. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity for your pupils to see and hear a live orchestra in concert at Hackney Empire!
"A once in a lifetime experience that really changes your mind about music.” Year 5 pupil, Ambler Primary School, Islington
“The students in my class who play instruments seemed to find it inspiring, but it was those with no background in music and those who had never encountered musicians before who got the most out of this. They may never have the opportunity again.” Year 5 teacher, Tetherdown Primary School, Haringey
If you are interested, we would be thrilled to have you join us. If you would like more information or to reserve places, please contact Csenge Herman (Company & Schools Administrator) by emailing csenge@apollomusicprojects.org or phone Apollo Music Projects on 020 8986 4101.
New schools for 2019-20
We are now finalising our list of participating schools for 2019-20, and have a few places left. We look forward to adding more schools next year, with several new schools already signed up to start in September. If you are interested in joining the Apollo programme, please get in touch, or if you know of a school that would. be interested please pass on the details. Next year will be our most ambitious yet, with 30 primary school places on offer.
Congratulations to Oliver Pashley, schools administrator and fab clarinettist!
We are delighted to announce that our Schools Administrator Oliver Pashley has been appointed as Sub-Principal Clarinet with the wonderful Britten Sinfonia. A fantastic job and well-deserved. Sadly this means that Oli will not be able to continue as Apollo Schools Administrator. He has been a great member of our team, and a pleasure to work with. We wish him all success in his new role. Csenge Herman, our General Administrator will take on the additional role of Schools Administrator later this month, so everything will continue to run smoothly.
Chamber Orchestra Workshops starting in February!
We are delighted to be starting this year's series of chamber orchestra workshops for children taking part in our programmes. The first of eight workshops will take place at the wonderful Great Hall, Leyton on Tuesday 5 February. The programme will feature music by Bach, Mozart, Piazzolla and The Simpsons Theme, and the children will have the opportunity to meet the musicians and see the instruments up close. Further workshops will take place at The Dream Centre, Tottenham and Regent Hall (Salvation Army), Oxford Street. Please contact us for further information, or if you would like to attend as an observer.
Encouraging speech by the Secretary of State for Culture
On 18 January the Secretary of State for Culture, Jeremy Wright, made a speech about the importance and value of the arts.‘… engagement with the arts is linked with higher happiness and self-esteem in young people, helping them to foster feelings of personal pride and achievement.’
One place left on this year's Apollo programme!
We have only one place remaining on this year's Apollo programme for primary schools. If you are interested in finding out more, or know of a school in North or East London that would like to take part, please contact us. Don't miss this amazing opportunity to introduce your children to the magic of live music with classroom sessions, chamber orchestra workshop and full symphony orchestra in concert!
Apollo Music Projects featured on French TV
David Chernaik, AMP conductor and CEO, rehearsing and talking about the orchestra as part of a documentary shown on French TV on 6 January.
Séquence chef d'Orchestre from David Chernaik on Vimeo.
GROW YOUR TENNER CAMPAIGN
This year's Grow Your Tenner campaign has now launched and will run until the match funding is fully allocated or 12am on Thursday the 10th January - whichever comes first.
During this campaign, direct debit donations are being matched by up to £10 for 6 months. After six initial donations, the following six donations will be matched. Anyone who makes a regular donation of £10/month will receive £60 in match funding. With Gift Aid as well, this means that your donation of £120 will be worth £210 in the first year.
It is a special campaign for regular donations which are extremely important to our work.
The match fund pot of £100,000 is rapidly being taken up by supporters of charities from all walks of life, so please don’t delay your contribution which will make a huge difference to the children who gain so much from our projects.
Many thanks for your kind help!
ONLY 12 HOURS TO GO UNTIL THE FINAL RESULTS
These are the final hours of the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2018! We have nearly raised all the funds we would need to DOUBLE all donations. Just another £672 and we will be one of the charities who can proudly thank to all our donors for their amazing support. Will you be the one who can give that extra little bit to make our wish come true? Please donate now and help us complete this challenge on a high note.
ONLY 24 hours left to help us DOUBLE all donations
We have had an amazing response from our supporters and have almost reached our target that was set for The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2018. However, the next 24 hours is a crucial time for us and would like your help to make this all happen by raising an additional sum of £2,312 that is needed to DOUBLE all donations. Please reach out to friends and family and ask them to support our cause.






