2019 in Review #wvsc2019 - Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council

by James Clarke
4 years ago
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This month we are reflecting on the work WVSC has delivered during 2019 & will be sharing information about our various projects & services.

Press Release:

44 voluntary organisations and community groups (VCOs) received funding totalling £2.7million via Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council, a local Charity, its recent annual accounts show.

41 of the organisations are based in Wolverhampton and the funding is part of WVSCs mission of maintaining and developing a thriving and diverse Voluntary and Community Sector in our City.

Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “We fund Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council to enable it to provide an infrastructure to support local voluntary and community sector groups, and it’s great to see it has been able to secure funding from a range of sources to benefit so many hard working organisations and good causes in our city.”

The funds were raised by WVSC from a number of funders and have allowed consortia of VCOs to work with some of the most vulnerable people in our City: Funding secured by WVSC from the National Lottery Community Fund allowed local organisations including Gazebo Theatre in Education to provide mentoring support to young people, including those coming out of prison; Comic Relief funding has been used to fund a consortium of partners to support girls at risk of being drawn into gangs and money from the Department of Health has allowed the CAB to be part of the delivery of Social Prescribing in the City.

Loneliness is a growing issue that can lead to mental and physical ill health and WVSC also secured funding through a national “Building Connections” programme in order to fund a Wellbeing consortium of local organisations to deliver a range of activities aimed at reducing loneliness.

Fazia Bano, the Chief Executive of St. Georges HUB, which is part of the Consortium commented that: “Loneliness has a highly damaging effect on vulnerable and marginalised men; the funds are being used by us to provide a range of sessions that are delivering life changing support to men across the city. The results have been promising, enabling men to decrease loneliness & isolation and improve their health and wellbeing.”

In addition WVSC used its own reserves during the year to provide small grants to groups of people facing mental ill health and coming together to support each other.

All these activities have continued into 2020/21, with extensions being granted by the National Lottery Community Fund (one of only 3 granted nationally) and Comic Relief (one of only four projects in the country).

Opportunities to be part of the consortium tackling loneliness will be advertised soon with small grants available.

To find out more about this or any of WVSCs work please contact Ian Darch (idarch@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk) in the first instance or go onto www.wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk.