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We’re delighted to be publishing our 2020-21 Annual Review.
Covering the period from 01 April 2020 to 31 March 2021, it features reports on a huge range of activity in a year described by our CEO, David Allen, as having “highs and lows… but not only did we ride the rollercoaster – it felt like we stayed on it all year”.
Autumn is well and truly amongst us – but there is something different about it this year… An understandably half-hearted Hallowe’en has come and gone – as have many of our hopes for a greater return to pre-pandemic normality before the winter comes. As the days grow noticeably shorter, I for one am battening down the hatches (mentally and physically) in preparation for a demanding season. I managed to attend a few face-to-face meetings – including a few large groups – as summer turned the corner, but the re-emergence of the spike in infection rates looks to have reduced our collective desire to meet in person.
Our Chief Executive, David Allen, will be speaking at the VSNW Festival of North West Thinking on Tuesday 9th November. The festival, which runs from 10am-4pm at the Gujarat Hindu Society and Community Centre in Preston, Lancashire, includes a Workshop discussing Health Systems Changes: where are we up to with health system transformation?
The workshop will consider; As the NHS goes through one of its biggest (or most bureaucratic?) system changes in its many years, where are VCSE groups being included and where are they being excluded? Is there a danger of falling through a gap where health and social care come under one body – with each of the two current bodies thinking that the “other” is developing the succession planning for passing on to the new body? On the eve of a new system beginning 1st April 2022, subject to the passing of the Health Bill, what do we need to know and do?
Cumbria CVS is working with a wonderful digital volunteer called Jonny who will be helping to create a short volunteering video about volunteering in Cumbria and highlighting the amazing work so many different volunteers and community groups have done during Covid-19. The video will be used on social media and on the Cumbria CVS website. We will also share the video with other organisations and partners to share more widely so everyone in Cumbria can see the real impact volunteers have made to our local communities. The aim of the video is to raise the profile of volunteering in Cumbria during Covid-19, showcasing different volunteers and groups, the different types of volunteering opportunities volunteers supported and hopefully this will also encourage new people to volunteer.
Citizens Advice Virtual Volunteer Recruitment Session
Wednesday 20 October from 12noon-1pm
Are you interested in becoming a volunteer with your local Citizens Advice in Cumbria?
Citizens Advice need a range of volunteers with different skills and backgrounds. Volunteers need the ability to communicate well, work effectively as a team member but also independently and be able to exercise sound judgement. A full induction will be provided to all volunteers and new trustees.
At the beginning of September 2021, The Building Better Opportunities Getting Cumbria to Work project hosted two Stakeholder events with local partners, both in Barrow and Kendal.
The purpose of the event was to explain the work of the Building Better Opportunities Getting Cumbria to Work (BBO GCtW) project, which supports people in the Barrow and South Lakes area aged 18 and above, who are either unemployed or economically inactive and are furthest removed from the labour market.
Our CEO, David Allen, recently delivered a presentation exploring the relationship between Cumbria CVS and local councils, at Transforming Local Government Procurement 2021.
The online event took place on the 28th September 2021, and brought together senior leaders from across Central and Local Government, academia and the wider public sector to hear the latest policy updates across the sector and address the challenges it faces in these unprecedented times.
#SmallCharityWeek
Small Charity Week is an annual event, run by the Foundation for Social Improvement. Small Charity Week is focused on celebrating and raising awareness of the essential work of small charities and the contribution they make to the lives of millions of individuals, communities and causes across the UK and around the world. This year’s Small Charity Week runs from 15 – 20 June 2020.
Covid-19 means that this year Small Charities week will be celebrated virtually. You can find out about the events that are taking place on the Small Charity Week website.
Further to the announcement last week, I wanted to reiterate the message that as of 1 April 2020, membership of Cumbria CVS is now FREE.
See message from David Allen last week:
“I am pleased to announce that as of 1st April 2020, Cumbria CVS will no longer be charging a membership fee. This was unanimously agreed by our Board as part of our developing strategy to support the sector whilst becoming financially sustainable. Instead, we will be developing a range of free services for members along with a range of “paid-for” services. This is a work in progress, and we will be consulting with you on this as our plans progress. We welcome your feedback on this move – agreed before COVID-19 hit us, but hopefully still a valuable shift…
Dear Friends and Colleagues
My message today has changed from the one I wrote yesterday, which was asking for your support to help bring about change – to join Cumbria CVS and other other local, regional and national organisations lobbying hard to get a national commitment to provide financial support to voluntary organisations throughout this crisis – however, it seems that our joint effort has resulted in a success for the sector, although whether this is far reaching enough remains to be seen.
