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Benefits of volunteering
/in Frontpage, News /by wlcvsdebIn this year’s Volunteers’ Week, we would also like to focus on some of our amazing organisations across West Lancashire, who rely upon volunteers to continue the vital work they do for the community – not just in these unprecedented times but year after year.
Each year we hold an annual volunteer awards evening in partnership with West Lancs Borough Council and this event provides a great opportunity for organisations to thank their volunteers. As this is currently not possible, we would like to share some quotes from some of our member organisations about the massive impact that volunteers have on their day to day work.
Our first organisation is Home-Start – a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support helping families with young children through their challenging times. Homestart says:
Tanhouse Morris Dancers has been running in Skelmersdale for 50 years, a major achievement in itself!. Angela Eadie says
West Lancs Ark offers a free advice and advocacy service to members of the community who maybe homeless, unemployed,ex-offenders or substance misusers. West Lancs Ark says:
Not only do volunteers provide massive help to the organisations they volunteer with, they also get a lot out of the experience personally. Debbie is one of our CVS volunteers working with the Social Prescribing Service. She says:
Finally, a volunteer at local advice organisation SWILCAN echoes Debbie’s thoughts about volunteering:
To all volunteers past, present and future – we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!
And don’t forget that if you are a volunteer involving organisation and you would like some support with actively recruiting new volunteers, we have a fully accredited Volunteer Centre that can support you.
Please email vc@wlcvs.org for more information or see our website: http://www.wlcvs.org/homepage/services/volunteering/
Volunteers’ Award Evening
/in Frontpage, News /by wlcvsdebEvery year during Volunteers’ Week, West Lancashire Volunteer Centre (part of West Lancs CVS) partners with West Lancashire Borough Council and West Lancs CCG to host an annual Volunteer Awards Evening.
This event is always a really special night and is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the amazing work of the volunteers and the organisations that they support.
Sadly, this year we can’t host our usual awards event, however we would like to take this opportunity to award every single volunteer across West Lancashire with this very special certificate and to say THANK YOU for all that you do!!
Volunteers’ Week is the highlight of our voluntary sector year and despite the Coronavirus pandemic, this has felt like one of the best Volunteers’ Weeks ever because there is a lot to celebrate and be positive about. This year it is more important than ever to celebrate and highlight the dedication and hard work that has been demonstrated all over the borough during this time.
Greg Mitten, Chief Officer at West Lancs CVS says:
The Mayor of West Lancs makes the evening really special and prestigious by presenting the awards. This year, Mayor of West Lancashire Cllr Gaynar Owen has recorded a special message of thanks instead. She has been really moved to hear of the many acts of kindness and is proud of the way local services and the voluntary sector has worked together to take care of people. Have a listen to her message here: https://vimeo.com/425536715…
Once again THANK YOU to all volunteers across West Lancashire who make West Lancs a wonderful place to be.
Happy Volunteers’ Week 2020 – we can’t wait until we can see you all in person again!
Image credit: “Thank you Volunteers cake.” by San José Public Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Volunteers’ Week 2020
/in Frontpage, News /by wlcvsdebToday marks the start of Volunteers’ Week 2020 and in these difficult times, volunteers all over West Lancs have risen to the challenge to provide help wherever it’s needed. This year more than ever, we feel it’s important to recognise and celebrate the positive impact that volunteers have on our community.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been lots of neighbourhood initiatives set up to support the vulnerable in our communities. These initiatives rely solely on volunteers, and we send a big thank you to every single volunteer who has stepped up during the last few months.
One of these schemes is Westhead Neighbours helping Neighbours. Here’s what some of their volunteers have had to say:
Getting medications out to people has been a challenge which staff from West Lancs Community Leisure have risen to by becoming medication delivery volunteers.
Another organisation that has benefited greatly from their volunteers recently is The Sewing Rooms:
Finally, Hesketh Bank and Tarleton Helpers are a local, volunteer led scheme set up to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s what all of the volunteers mean to them:
New funding round opens for voluntary groups in West Lancashire
/in Frontpage, News /by wlcvsdebWest Lancs CVS is pleased to announce a new round of grants for the local voluntary sector, made possible by funding from West Lancs Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
The CCG investment of £100,000 into the West Lancs voluntary sector will create a series of grant pots for organisations to apply into for funding. Groups can apply for projects which use behaviour change approaches to improve health and wellbeing across the three Primary Care Networks (PCN) areas of West Lancashire: Skelmersdale and Upholland; Ormskirk and Aughton; and Burscough, Parbold and the Northern Parishes.
This funding round is a repeat of last year’s grants, when CCG investment first enabled the creation of a grant funding pot for the West Lancs voluntary sector. In that 2018-19 funding round, CCG grants were awarded to a wide range of organisations working to improve health and wellbeing across West Lancs. These included a Connected Counselling service, a partnership involving the Birchwood Centre, Yewdale Counselling Service and West Lancs Bereavement Counselling Service which supports people undergoing counselling locally to also tackle life issues such as debt, housing problems, family problems, thereby enhancing the impact of counselling on the individual. Among the small grants awarded was one to Upholland Scouts for a canoeing project to engage hard to reach teenagers, another to a Wellbeing Cafe in Burscough run by Burscough Community hub, and an innovative outreach project by SWICAN offering welfare rights advice to isolated areas of the Borough.
Greg Mitten, West Lancs CVS Chief Officer says,
The total grant pot is £100,000 and there are three sizes of funding pots available to local charities and voluntary groups:
Read the guidance for Fund A and download the application form for Fund A.
Read the guidance for Fund B and download the application form for Fund B.
Read the guidance for Fund C and download the application form for Fund C.
The closing date for Funding Application C is 5pm on 20 November 2019
The closing date for Funding Applications A and B is 5pm on 4 December 2019
Larger organisations will be encouraged to work in partnership alongside local smaller organisations, as well as making good use of community venues and services.
If you would like to apply please read the summary document.
Please read the guidance for each pot carefully and adhere to the word limit (use it as a guide to how detailed the answers should be).
If you have any questions please contact Vicky Attwood.
New CVS training programme
/in Frontpage, News /by wlcvsdebDetails of our 2019-20 training programme have just been published. Courses include:
Full details can be found here.
In addition to the above courses, we can also offer training on request to groups on:
We can also supply information on availability of Emergency First Aid at Work and Food Hygiene courses.
For information on any CVS training opportunities, please contact Helen Jones on 0165-733737 or email helenj@wlcvs.org
Show What You Grow 2019
/in Community Food Growing, Events, Frontpage, News /by wlcvsdebCVS presented with LGBT Quality Mark
/in Frontpage, News /by wlcvsdebCVS Annual General Meeting
/in Events, News /by wlcvsdebYou are warmly invited to the West Lancs CVS’ AGM to be held on Wednesday 3 April 2019 at Evermoor Community Hub, Skelmersdale from 10am (9.30am registration) until 11.30am.
To book your place, please complete the booking form and return to Vicky Attwood.
‘Show What You Grow’ 2018
/in Community Food Growing, Events, Frontpage, News /by wlcvsdebCVS Annual Volunteer Awards Evening 2018
/in Frontpage, News /by wlcvsdebA selection of volunteers from across the Borough were awarded 100 hour certificates, 200 hour certificates, and Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering Awards.
The evening was hosted by the Mayor of West Lancashire, Councillor Noel Delaney. The presentations were held in the Mayor’s Chamber, with refreshments served in the Mayor’s Parlour afterwards.
The awards were then followed up by representatives from each organisation saying a few words about the powerful impact of volunteers on the Voluntary Community and Faith Sector. It is true to say that a number of organisations just would not be able to run without the dedication and hard-work of their volunteers.
Greg Mitten, Chief Officer of West Lancs CVS along with Janice Howard from West Lancs CVS Volunteer Centre would like to say a big thank you to West Lancs Borough Council for hosting the ceremony and providing the delicious food, thank you to the Mayor of West Lancs Borough Council Noel Delaney and his Mayoress Mrs Ann Stubbert for presenting the awards to the volunteers and making the evening really special.
Thank you to the organisations who attended the evening, along with their volunteers and for saying wonderful things about the impact of volunteering in our Borough:
Thank you to Cath Thompson from the West Lancs Clinical Commissioning Group for attending on the night.
Last but not least, thank you to all of the Volunteers, not only the volunteers who attended on the night, but all of the volunteers across West Lancashire, who work tirelessly, giving up their free time to try and change the lives of others. Well done to all of you and a huge well done to the volunteers who were presented with awards.
26 volunteers were presented with awards!
To find out more about how to join the West Lancashire Volunteer Centre Certificate Scheme, please contact us on 01695 733737 or email vc@wlcvs.org