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Notice of Trustee Election

Would you be interested in a rewarding and fulfilling role as a Trustee of The Compassionate Friends? If so, our Board of Trustees would like to invite you to apply to fill vacancies on the Board.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the charity and as such works in a similar way to a company board of directors, in as much as each trustee takes on an area of responsibility for the benefit of the charity.

The Board would be particularly assisted by individuals with skills and experience in areas such as but not limited to Charity/Company Law, Managing Charity Finances, Information Technology, Fundraising, Training and Events Management, Volunteer Management, Public Relations and Public Speaking, Human Resources, or with other skills and experience which could be of benefit to the work of TCF. This is not an exhaustive list and you may have other skills that would benefit the charity. Being a charity Trustee is a challenging, but rewarding, role and we always look forward to welcoming new people to the Board. Typically, the amount of time that a board member might be prepared to devote to TCF would be approximately 5 hours per week.

A message from the TCF Trustees

We are delighted to announce that our charity is expanding. We are providing more support than ever, with new Local Contacts and Groups, a fully staffed Telephone Helpline, more Supportive Weekends, a thriving Online Forum and several new Facebook supportive groups. To manage all this, we are making some changes:

• Carolyn Brice appointed CEO
• Two new positions to be recruited
• An office move

We are excited at the changes underway in our charity and wish to thank everyone who has helped us make it all happen - all of you who donate to TCF, fundraise for us and most of all our fantastic bereaved parent support volunteers.

New 3 day retreat offers parents support and comfort

The first retreat for parents bereaved by suicide, addiction or substance use was held at Woodbrooke, in Birmingham, from 11-13 July. 52 parents came together, with 12 TCF volunteers, to share stories of their children, talk, cry and laugh together, find friendship, support and comfort. What a wonderful few days - filled with so much inspiration, hope, and understanding.

We received a many emails and letters about the retreat, and we have reprinted a few of these here to give you a flavour of this special gathering.

We hope to repeat this retreat in 2017 so look out for more details and dates.

New range of TCF merchandise launched

Now you can show your support for the work of our charity with our new range of Compassionate Friends merchandise.

Just in are...

• jute bags
• cotton shoppers
• stylish mugs
• printed candles
• charity wristbands

All available to purchase easily and conveniently online.

All item prices include packing and postage to a UK address.

(All these items will also be available to purchase at our retreats and other events).