Woodcraft Folk’s Trustee Board met during the last weekend in June, welcoming newly elected Trustee Ro Marsh to join the Board as an observer. Trustees formally take on their term of office from 1st September.
The meeting welcomed representatives from Woodcraft Folk’s Equality Diversity & Inclusion Working Group who shared the highlights from their research into the volunteer experience at Woodcraft Folk. Since November 2023, volunteers and staff have been working with 7PK to undertake a series of surveys and focus groups. The team has a number of 121 interviews planned to conclude their research. To date they have engaged active volunteers, volunteers who left the organisation during 2023 and some individuals who started the volunteer journey but chose not to sign up as a volunteer after the expression of interest stage. The research has flagged up a number of issues around communication, volunteer induction and the need for open recruitment. An action plan will be co-created over the summer months with more shared with groups during the Autumn term.
The Board also discussed the youth organisation’s current financial situation and the purpose of the centre network. The Board welcomed the recent relaunch of the Friends of the Folk supporters campaign, and were pleased to welcome new donors and see unrestricted income increase. Unrestricted income enables Woodcraft Folk to be responsive to the needs of volunteers and groups.
The Board also heard that the centres are struggling to meet increasing costs, but remained committed to offering all Woodcraft Folk groups discounted stays. The team had been successful in attracting some external funding in 2024 to support partnership development and group stays, but more funding was needed to support decarbonisation ambitions.
The Board strongly encourages all groups to utilise the centres, helping to support their ongoing sustainability.
Board member Niamh offers a useful summary of the Board meeting in the video below.