Volunteer Chair to support pioneering participatory theatre company

What will you be doing?

Spare Tyre is a pioneering participatory theatre and multi-art form company. For over 45 years we’ve been collaborating with people from groups who are least represented in professional and community arts and culture. Across a number of areas of our work, it’s a very exciting time. We are grateful to have sustained status as National Portfolio Organisation by Arts Council England from 2023-26. We are an associate company with Mast Studios, Southampton and collaborating with Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch on our tour On The Beach. There’s bold work to be done and an ambitious 10-year plan to guide us. Having this clear vision underpinned by committed, inclusive governance has never been more vital for us. In 2019, the Board of Trustees appointed Rebecca Manson Jones as Artistic Director to take Spare Tyre forward into its next chapter, and now in parallel with expanding our Board, we have recruited an Executive Producer, Amanda Castro, to continue Spare Tyre’s journey alongside Rebecca. Like many arts organisations, we had to adapt our work in the coronavirus pandemic. For us it meant an acceleration into ways of working that we wanted to explore anyway. Spare Tyre now works in a hybrid model — ensuring that our participants and artists are able to make and experience work, safely, on their terms. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do and is an ongoing learning practice. We’re looking for a Chair of our Board who shares our values and can contribute to the bright future of Spare Tyre. We are particularly keen to recruit people with governance and/or financial experience, as well as inclusive working practices and participatory practitioners. For the position of Chair, previous Board experience is essential. Lived experience of any of our current creative partnership areas is also very welcome. These are with groups supporting:

Women who have experience of violence and abuse Learning disabled and neurodivergent adults People living with dementias and their carers Adults experiencing long-term health conditions such as long Covid

What are we looking for?

Previous Board experience is critical, preferably for a small organisation so you understand some of the challenges and opportunities we face. A demonstrable understanding of participatory arts and Arts Council England’s Let’s Create strategy would be fantastic, but a commitment to our ethos of inclusive, equitable, representative and collaborative processes is the really important part. To help the successful applicant step up to be Chair, there’s be support and gradual handover from the existing Trustees, who currently rotate the Chair position. Skills on the board currently include fundraising, theatre producing and freelancing in the arts, climate change and governance. We are seeking a Chair with one or more skills across financial management, governance and operations, safeguarding and fundraising. As the Chair will line manage the CEO, previous line management of a senior position is also preferable.

What difference will you make?

The Chair of Trustees is a critical role in our organisation. You will be joining a small group of very committed, active Trustees to provide strategic oversight and ensure the company not only fulfils its charitable aims but also meets Arts Council NPO reporting criteria, with the aim of continued NPO status beyond 2026. This sustained income allows Spare Tyre to continue its groundbreaking work with more adults whose creativity may not otherwise be recognised.  “You’re letting me touch things, They don’t usually let me do that” Guest Artist – We Will Be Happy Here 2021 “It was so nice to see our residents take part in the interaction with the case members. (There were) tears of happiness and joy!” ”To see the impact the show had on the audience was so inspiring […] this is obviously such a valuable initiative for patients and carers.”