Become a Trustee with The Kirkwood

Help shape the future of The Kirkwood - Become a Trustee and help make a difference to those living with life limiting illnesses and their families in Kirklees.

The Kirkwood is not simply a hospice — it is a cornerstone of life in Kirklees. For nearly four decades it has provided free, expert, compassionate care to thousands of local people and their families facing life-limiting illness, at every stage of their journey, wherever they call home.

Its reach extends far beyond its walls in Dalton. Community nurses, a 24/7 advice line, bereavement support and wellbeing services touch every town and village across Kirklees — making The Kirkwood one of the most valued and trusted organisations our district has ever known.

Could you help shape the future of this vital movement? We are looking for passionate people from across Kirklees to join our Board of Trustees and help ensure The Kirkwood continues to be there for every family that needs it.

We're looking for people who complement and strengthen our current board. We have a good gender and age balance, but we are particularly committed to broadening diversity — of background, ethnicity, lived experience and professional skills.

Skills We’re Seeking:

• Finance & commercial
• Digital & technology
• Community connection
• Retail & Marketing

Trustees are the guardians of The Kirkwood. You set the strategic direction, protect our values, and make sure we’re delivering real impact for the people who need us most.

Your responsibilities:

• Set and oversee our strategy
• Ensure financial sustainability
• Uphold governance and compliance
• Safeguard our reputation and values
• Support and challenge the executive team
• Ensure we deliver our charitable purpose

The commitment:

• Four board meetings per year
• Sub-committee membership (quarterly)
• Some reading and preparation time
• Occasional visits and events

We’re flexible and will always try to accommodate your availability.

No experience as a trustee? That’s fine.

We provide a full induction, ongoing training and a supportive board. What matters most is your passion for The Kirkwood’s mission and the skills and perspectives you bring. We value lived experience just as highly as professional expertise.

Trustee roles suit all kinds of people. We are particularly keen to hear from:

• People who are early in their career
• Community and faith leaders
• People involved in volunteering or grassroots community work
• Business, finance and professional leaders
• Individuals from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds
• People with strong connections to local communities across Kirklees

We know your time is precious, so we like to keep things simple. You don’t need to redraft your CV and right a point by point covering letter full of governance jargon. We just want to get to know you as a person.

Simply fill out our form and we’ll get back to you to arrange an informal chat.