Volunteers & trustees positions to fulfil the legacy of H.I.M Haile Selassie I to the City of Bath
Fairfield House is looking for a wide range of volunteers, and in due course some trustees. Could this be you?
Background
The Friends of Fairfield House are concluding an agreement with Bath & NE Somerset Council to put Fairfield House, former home of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, into the control of a new charity. The house at 2 Kelston Road, Bath is of immense historic cultural and sacred significance – the residence of an Ethiopian Emperor who came to Bath as a war refugee, left it with his dignity and reputation intact and fortunes restored and gifted the house in gratitude to the city.
The challenges the trustees and existing volunteers face include:
• negotiate and conclude the community asset transfer with B&NES
• establish a confident new CIO
• raise funds
• appoint staff
• execute viable business plan (based initially on rentals, hospitality, catering and trading)
Why does Fairfield matter?
The cultural historic and sacred dimensions of H.I.M’s legacy affect:
• the African diaspora; the main Ethiopian festivals are celebrated at Fairfield
• the Afro-Caribbean community in Britain
• Rastafari, for whom this place is literally the house of the Messiah. Anywhere Ras Teferi walked is sacred
• civic Bath and its self-esteem as a place of welcome for people in adversity who seek refuge here
The vision is of Fairfield House as a place of multi-cultural interfaith welcome for people in all their diversity in whatever adversity.
To succeed in its mission of fulfilling H.I.M’s legacy the Friends of Fairfield House need volunteers now, and the new charity will soon need Trustees.
The call is for a wide range of management and practical skills including:
• legal (wideranging – property, contracts, commercial)
• financial (again a wide range: FD, short and long-term fundraising, accounting)
• buildings (planning, practical skills)
• marketing and online sales
• recruitment and volunteer management
• and many other areas: events management, hospitality support, cleaning, gardening, tree surgery, crafts, admin, window-cleaning. So many things!)
• international relations.
If you’re willing but in doubt as whether you’ve got anything to offer please contact us!
This is a community undertaking – the hand timidly raised at the back of the room might end up as chair of the Board of trustees (that has happened!)
RSVP
Email letters of Application/CVs etc to Fairfield House infofairfieldhouse@gmail.com
Twitter @FairfieldHouse
Facebook Fairfield House, home of HIM Emperor Haile Selassie
[for other enquiries relating to Friends of Fairfield House bemsca@btconnect.com or wmheath+FFH@gmail.com ]