Hello, I am Steven and I am the Chair of Trustees for Isca Community Enterprises…
Isca Community Enterprises runs the Beacon Community Centre in Beacon Heath, Exeter. I have been involved with the charity for about 3 years now and for the last 2 years have served as Chair of Trustees. I live locally in Exeter with my family and am glad to be able to use my time and skills to volunteer in this way.
The charity has 5 trustees, all of whom are volunteers and receive no remuneration for their time. We have a great part time manager, Kate, who runs The Beacon on a day to day basis with fantastic support from a team of volunteers. We have had to work particularly hard since COVID-19, not only to maintain the safe running of the Beacon Centre but also to secure the finances to keep the centre open and serving the local community. A big part of my role is to liaise with other key stakeholders in the local community, including our Community Builders.
So, what does a typical day look like for me in this role? My day would start with catching up with any e-mails and planning any responses and actions needed. The day usually has a mixture of planned work, such as catching up with Kate at The Beacon as well as dealing with the unexpected – anything from lost keys to water leaks. I might arrange to meet someone at the centre who is looking to start a new project at the Beacon and Friday mornings (pre COVID 19) would usually find me unsuccessfully trying to improve my pool playing skills at the weekly drop in at the Beacon! Recently I worked with Wellbeing Exeter to appoint two Community Connectors who will base themselves at The Beacon and work in the local area to support individuals to link with their community.
Virtual meetings on zoom are a regular feature now, for example having a monthly zoom meeting of the management group to work through any urgent operational matters related to the running of the Beacon and to plan for any new developments. Every other month I chair our Trustees meeting to discuss with fellow trustees the key issues related to the charity and centre and look ahead at strategic considerations.
My work as Chair of Trustees is busy and enjoyable. I particularly like helping the charity and the Beacon Centre to work with and be part of the local community, working alongside local partners in supporting individuals and groups to try and realise their own potential and to serve our community.
