Defra Rural Social and Communities Programme

1
Defra Rural Social and Communities Programme

• Volunteering Project
• 2006 - 2008

2
Project Delivered by

• Voluntary and Community Action South Bedfordshire
  (incorporating the Volunteer Centre South
  Bedfordshire)
• Volunteer Centre Bedford
• Community and Voluntary Service Mid and North
  Bedfordshire

3
Aim of Project

• To Build the Capacity of the Rural Voluntary and
  Community Sector in Bedfordshire through
  Sustainable Volunteering and Targeted Development
  Support

4
Elements of the Project (1)

• Recruit Staff
• Identify local volunteering needs and
  opportunities in rural Bedfordshire
• Increase in the numbers of potential volunteers
  from rural localities in Bedfordshire seeking,
  choosing and taking up volunteering opportunities

5
Elements of the Project (2)

• Support to rural-based volunteer-involving
  organisations in Bedfordshire to enable them to
  develop their recruitment, retention and
  management of volunteers
• Support to rural-based voluntary and community
  organisations in Bedfordshire to enable them to
  develop good practice and improve service
  delivery

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Staff Recruitment

• Staff recruited and in post from 1 July 2006

7
Identifying Local Volunteering Needs (1)

• New volunteering opportunities identified as a
  result of work with rural communities and rural
  based volunteer-involving organisations
• 2006 2007 212
• 2007 Present 76

8
Identifying Local Volunteering Needs (2)

• Market Towns and Parishes visited with field work
  undertaken to promote services of the local
  Volunteer Centres to rural based
  volunteer-involving organisations, with follow up
  work/contacts undertaken
• 2006 2007 18
• 2007 Present 7

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An Increase in the Number of Volunteers from
Rural Areas (1)

• Potential volunteers from rural localities that
  used the Volunteer Centres in seeking, choosing
  and/or taking up volunteering opportunities
• 2006 2007 300
• 2007 Present 73

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An Increase in the Number of Volunteers from
Rural Areas (2)

• Laminated Posters sent to
• 117 Parish Councils
• 150 Churches
• 103 Village Halls Community Centres
• 20 Schools
• Library Displays throughout Bedfordshire
• Articles published in District, Town Parish
  Newsletters and on local websites

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Recruitment, Retention and Management of
Volunteers

• Rural-based volunteer-involving organisations
  contacted and directly supported in relation to
  their recruitment, retention and management of
  volunteers
• 2006 2007 153 contacted, 32 supported
• 2007 Present 154 contacted, 20 supported

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Good Practice and Improved Service Delivery (1)

• 80 groups targeted. This resulted in 65
  rural-based groups receiving regular mailings and
  development work being undertaken with 14 groups
  on a range of issues including starting new
  groups, constitutions, insurance, premises and
  business planning.
• Nearly 30 information sheets were developed
  covering a range of topics, including Starting a
  New Voluntary or Community Group, Governance
  Issues, Managing Volunteers and an
  organisational health check available through
  the VoluntaryWorks. org.uk website

13
Good Practice and Improved Service Delivery (2)

• Rural newsletters and websites targeted with
  information regarding the services available
• CVS Mid and North Bedfordshire has worked closely
  with Mid Beds District Council, Bedfordshire
  County Council, Aragon Housing Association, Mid
  Beds Citizen Advice Bureau and Bedford Credit
  Union to set up a credit union in Mid Beds

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Further Details

• Volunteer Centre Bedford - 43 Bromham Road,
  Bedford, MK40 2AA. Tel [phone]. Email
  vb_at_bedfordvb.org.uk. Website www.volunteeringbedf
  ord.org.uk
• Community and Voluntary Service Mid and North
  Bedfordshire - 43 Bromham Road, Bedford, MK40
  2AATel 01234 354366  Email info_at_cvsmidandnorthb
  eds.org.uk. Website www.cvsmidandnorthbeds.org.uk
  
• Voluntary and Community Action South Bedfordshire
  - Bossard House, West Street, Leighton Buzzard,
  LU7 1DA. Tel [phone]. Email
  mail_at_action-southbeds.org.uk. Website
  www.action-southbeds.org.uk