St Wilfrid’s Hospice is an independent charity providing palliative and end of life care services to patients at its in-patient unit in Bosham and/or in patients’ own homes. St Wilfrid’s receives a small amount of NHS income, but the significant majority of its £10.5m annual expenditure is paid for by charitable fund-raising and retail.

St Wilfrid’s employs around 250 people across its clinical, retail, fundraising, and other support service teams. More than 560 people give their time to St Wilfrid’s as volunteers, including on the in-patient unit, in shops, at events, in the café, in the community, and as trustees and committee advisers.

The Board of St Wilfrid’s Hospice is looking for a new, locally connected trustee who can provide strategic oversight of the further development and implementation of the charity’s legacy income strategy.

Charity trustees have a range of legal obligations, as set out on the Charity Commission’s website: The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do (CC3) – GOV.UK

The appointee must be willing to accept the obligations associated with trusteeship, and be able to confirm that they are not disqualified from holding the position of trustee: Why some individuals can’t act as charity trustees – GOV.UK

The vacancy at St Wilfrid’s arises from the conduct of a skills audit amongst the current trustees, which identified the need for someone to join the Board who can support the Board, the Chief Executive, and the Senior Management Team (SMT) by:

• Providing insight into national and local trends affecting legacies, probate and estate administration
• Offering guidance on legacy fundraising strategy and growth plans
• Sharing expertise on estates, trusts, property gifts and related legal matters
• Champion and promote Make a Will Fortnight and other charity legacy initiatives
• Encouraging charity legacy conversations with clients as part of tax efficient estate planning
• Acting as an ambassador for the hospice within local professional and community networks, and helping develop and grow the network of local professionals /practitioners involved in estates and legacy planning /administration who support and advocate for St Wilfrid’s
• Introducing potential supporters, sponsors and corporate partners
• Providing advice on estate planning and charity legacy related governance, risk and strategic planning projects

The role of trustee is not operational, and the appointee will not act as St Wilfrid’s agent, but will behave as a ‘critical friend’, mentor, and adviser to the trustees, appropriate directors, and employees of St Wilfrid’s.

Trustees are expected to attend quarterly meetings of the full board (around 3 – 3.5 hours), and of one or more committees, plus twice-yearly development days. The appointee would also need to be available between those meetings to give ad hoc advice on policy and practice in their area of expertise, and occasionally to represent St Wilfrid’s at social / fundraising / awareness raising events.

Expenses payments can be made to enable people who have caring responsibilities to fulfil this role, and reasonable travel etc expenses will be paid when incurred in the course of Trustee duties.
Trustees are supported through a comprehensive induction programme, including a ‘buddy system’, and on-going training during their term of office.

Please apply by submitting your CV and a statement of interest.

Pre-application enquiries may also be made to the Chief Executive by email: lois.howell@stwh.co.uk

Deadline for applications 18 October 2026

Job Type: Volunteer

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Chichester PO18 8QB