The NCT Peterborough Branch needs your help - please read on for a letter from our Regional Coordinator, Geraldine Edgington. Volunteering is also a great way to meet other parents - read more about volunteering!

Help Save the Peterborough Branch!

If you are a regular reader of the branch website you would have remembered the posting regarding the Branch Annual Members Meeting (AMM).

The AMM went off successfully and a new Branch Coordinator was voted in.  She is Marianne Ryan, mother of an 18 months daughter.  However, we still need your help.  Unfortunately the branch was unable to confirm members for the following roles:

Treasurer                               

Membership Coordinator

Parent Support Coordinator               

PSA Link

Newsletter Team                           

Branch Secretary

Publicity Officer

(A description of what each of these roles entails can be found in the document "role descriptions.pdf", which has can be accessed through the related documents section on our front page, or by following this link.)

With these roles still vacant, the branch is now in a difficult situation.

All charities in England are regulated by The Charity Commission.  This is to ensure that charities conform to certain requirements which allow them to continue maintaining their charity status.  It is the responsibility of the respective Boards of Trustees to issue documents and guidelines which employees and volunteers use to carry out the charities’ vision and mission.

NCT Board of Trustees created the Branch Charter, which all branches must adhere to.  The purpose of this document is to clarify the role of branches and its operations.  The Branch Charter indicates that in order for a branch to function 5 key roles must be filled – Branch Coordinator, Treasurer, Membership Coordinator, Parent Support Coordinator and PSA Link.

Given that only one of these 5 roles are filled, the branch is unable to function and fulfil NCT’s mission and vision.  Marianne and I have had many discussions about what happens next and this is the decisions that have been taken:
 

The roles of Treasurer, Membership Coordinator and Newsletter Editor need to be filled by the end of January.

If these roles are not filled by that date, the Nearly New Sale scheduled for Saturday 17 March, 2012 will be cancelled

The spring issue of the branch newsletter will not be produced as no activities that require financial transactions can be carried out without a treasurer in post.

In today’s fast paced world, you are probably wondering where on earth you would find the time to volunteer.  The beauty of NCT is that we are a family friendly organisation and a lot of the roles can be done with little ones in tow (or when they are in bed asleep!).  Everyone has skills that would be useful.  If you found NCT helpful, why not get involved in helping us to reach more parents and make a difference in your area.

No volunteer is ever alone.  All branch decisions are made by the team as a whole, so no one person needs to feel over-burdened by anything.  Support is available from a variety of sources; designated role e-groups, the Regional Team, babble (the volunteer intranet) and Branch Support Department.

If you would like to know more about the various roles available and what they entail, I have enclosed a document.  If you would like to chat more about any of the roles, please drop me an email on the address below.

Sincerely

Geraldine Edgington
Proud to be a Volunteer
Mother of 2
Regional Coordinator
regioneastofengland@nct.org.uk

0844 243 6427