Settle Stories is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation based in the Yorkshire Dales. Since 2010, we have used the power of story to educate, to empower, and to endure. We have reached over 200,000 people across 44 countries and 6 continents. We pioneered hybrid live-streaming for storytelling events in 2019, a year before the pandemic made it necessary. In 2025, funded by the British Council, we collaborated with Msitu Wa Ndoto to broadcast live performances from Africa's oldest burial site, a 76,000-year-old cave in Kenya, connecting artists from the UK and Kenya to audiences worldwide. We are now looking to expand this work, broadcasting from unusual and culturally significant places across the globe.
In schools, our Stories for Schools platform brings the nation's finest storytellers into classrooms through filmed content aligned to the national curriculum. The Storyful Way, our mindfulness-integrated storytelling methodology, is validated by Sheffield Hallam University for its outcomes in emotional well-being and resilience. Judges for our annual Children's Story Competition have included Sir Michael Morpurgo, Joanne Harris MBE, and Anne Fine. Closer to home, Settle itself sits at the heart of everything we do: for 15 years we have preserved the stories of the Yorkshire Dales through oral history projects, heritage archives, and the world's first Listening Gallery, housed in a phone box, keeping local voices alive for future generations.
We have a strong and committed Board, and several trustees have stayed well beyond their original terms. That is a testament to the organisation. In line with good practice, the time has come to bring in fresh voices.
Our current Chair has served two distinguished terms, steering Settle Stories through the pandemic and into its strongest ever position. The organisation is well placed for Arts Council England's next NPO round and the opportunities ahead.
We are looking for an enthusiastic Chair and Trustees who share our values and our passion for the power of story. We are also keen to hear from individuals who would welcome supporting us in a specific area on an advisory basis
We are recruiting for Trustee roles and, for those who cannot commit to a Board seat, non-voting Advisor positions.
Applications for both roles are particularly welcomed from women, those from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and Person of Colour) backgrounds, and from those based in Yorkshire and the North.
We are seeking Trustee candidates with one or more of the following:
• arts practice - people with working experience of the cultural sector from a practitioner and/or manager perspective;
• business skills - commercial experience in earned income growth, B2B sales, or scaling subscription or digital products.
• digital expertise – specifically including:
• web design and user interfacing (UX/UI);
• digital security and infrastructure;
• digital marketing/performance marketing;
• HR and people development - strategic people leadership: organisational culture, equality and inclusion, workforce development.
• finance, legal, and governance experience - commercial finance, charity law or governance, with experience of mixed-income organisations.
Advisors should:
• Be able to demonstrate a high level of skill in one of the areas listed above, and be willing to support the Chief Executive and her team whenever advice or views on service delivery and development is needed. An understanding of Charity Commission requirements is also desirable.
Being an advisor is a flexible arrangement between the charity and the individual. The length of the term will be agreed on an individual basis.
Skills and Experience
All Trustees must:
• Have an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of trusteeship.
• Be confident to work digitally using Zoom/GMeet and shared docs.
• Have strong networks and the willingness to build and share them.
• Exercise good, independent judgment.
• Have the ability to think creatively.
• Have a willingness to speak their mind.
• Have the ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
• Adhere to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity,
accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.
The Chair role
We are looking for a committed individual who has a passion for story and literacy.
- the skills and time to be able to lead a medium-sized Board effectively and efficiently within the legal and best practice guidance set out by the Charity Commission;
- the skills and time to provide regular support (remotely and in person) to the CEO and staff team at Settle Stories;
- An understanding of the issues facing small, ambitious charities, and specifically cultural/arts council-funded charities.
Attendance: Remote
Time requirements: Four to five meetings annual, all held online, plus one in person Away Day annually. Board meetings are usually held on a Thursday evening.
To apply for or express an interest in this position, please email bicenquiries@weareadvocate.org.uk
