Can a board meeting be held without the company secretary being present or invited to attend?

My Board is about to engage on recruiting a company secretary who would be a board member/trustee. We are a charitable company limited by guarantee. This is an urgent requirement as the previous secretary has sadly died recently and no other board member or employee has the capability to perform the company secretary function. Are you aware of any lists of persons (preferably based in the north east of england) who may be interested in such a position on a voluntary basis.