Annual Report
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Colchester Community Voluntary Services “Thriving Local Communities” March 2013 Development - Support Liaison Representation Annual Report Strategic Partnership Work April 2012 2012 April Page Vision and Mission Statement 3 Chairman’s Report 4 Acknowledgements 5 CEO’s Report 6 - 8 Community Development Project Report 9 - 11 Business Bank 12 Community Accounts Service Report 13 - 14 Volunteer Centre Report 15 Time Bank Report 16 - 17 Transport & Shopmobility Report 18 - 19 Highlights and Overview of the Year 20 - 21 Treasurer’s Report 22 - 24 President, Vice Presidents and Trustees 25 Staff and Volunteers 26 Membership 27 - 28 Looking to the Future 29 2 “Thriving local communities” CCVS will enable affective communities and voluntary action by empowering and inspiring our local society through our five core values – Support, Development, Liaison, Representation and Strategic Partnership Working. 3 Chairman’s Report I am pleased to say this is now my fifth year as Chairman, and it is with great pleasure that I present my Report on behalf of the Trustees of Colchester Community Voluntary Services for the year ending 31st March 2013. Firstly I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the ongoing success of CCVS, and its member groups, during the last twelve months. Without the continued support from our Volunteers, Fundraisers, Staff and Trustees, the ongoing work would not have been possible. Strategic Planning Day – 16th November 2012 The Board of Trustees tasked the CEO to explore opportunities for the future direction of the organisation, and working towards a new 3-5 year Business Plan. Working in conjunction with an external consultant, the priorities that we have identified for organisational development include: Reviewing our Vision and Mission Revising key Strategic Priorities Producing new 3-5 year Business Plan Identifying Workforce Development needs Reviewing our Chief Officer role and functions Board of Trustees Development Reviewing Strategic Partnerships and Partnership working Undertaking Community Mapping research This important work is ongoing, but the following strategic work was identified as needing imminent attention: Transport Scheme Merger with Maldon Transport Families with Complex Needs integrating with Family Solution model CVS Leadership/Influencing Joint Working and our external focus Strategic Partnership Whole Community Budgets (opportunities for the sector) Financial Forecasting and Planning (ensuring financial balance) Estates-Acquisitions (voluntary action centre?) Commissioning Innovations (e.g. Integrated Commissioning) Trustee Development and Governance The above will set some of the direction of travel in respect of the work which the CEO will be undertaking to strengthen not only the CCVS, but the groups we support. David Evans CCVS Chairman 4 Acknowledgements 5 CEO’s Report I’m not quite sure how to begin this Report, which is unusual for me, as you know; I always have far more than my fair share to say! I thought, shall I start with the Exciting! normal cliché type of words: Challenging! Resilient! Sustainable! And let’s not forget the infamous Innovation! where funding bids spring to mind, and the expectation that we continue to re-invent ourselves, well who better than the voluntary sector to take up this particular gauntlet, and don’t we do it so well? Part of the team’s work this year was to facilitate and produce a mapping report of the Voluntary and Community Sector here in Colchester. Some key findings were: The sector is a key player in the life of Colchester and makes a real, tangible difference. The sector is diverse, with no one organisation showing typical traits, except of course being not for profit. The sector has changed significantly in the last 11 years since our 2001 mapping exercise. Following this, it leads me to think about how CCVS is going to respond to an ever emerging, but growing sector, and stay up to date and proficient in the constantly increasing demand for our support work. For the past six months we have all been working together internally re-structuring, diversifying our team, training and up-skilling some of the existing workforce, and wait for it; building resilience, to include recruiting apprenticeships, work experience, and University of Essex Internships. Our Workforce Development Plan will be produced in early July 2013. The membership continues to grow with an overall increase of more than 10%, and I have found myself helping at least three groups to re-shape their business model in order to survive. Not what we want to see moving forward, but often the decision to contract is favourable over closure. No one day is ever the same here, and I remain dedicated to ensuring that CCVS continues to open up opportunities for joint work and developing robust partnerships. We are already levering in additional funding to Colchester by strengthening, trusting and respecting each other’s ability to deliver, and this has been demonstrated in reality with the Advice Services Transition Fund of £349,000, and the potential to roll-out Time Bank work across Essex through the Whole Essex Community Budget agenda. We have also encouraged collaboration to apply in partnership to the Homelessness Transition Fund. We intend to offer further opportunities for training and developing these critical areas of co-operation. 6 Clinical Commissioning Group Transformation and Delivery Group High Street Closure monitoring Group Whole Essex Community Budgets Time Bank Conference Clinical Commissioning Group System Leadership Health Forum Essential Living Committee Fund Crucial Crew Safer Essex Partnership work I’m involved with as Children’s Partnership Essex Association your chosen voice. of CVS’s Funding Panel for Funding Panel for Family Innovation Fund Big Society Active Colchester Essex Commissioning CBC Cabinet Champion Review Panels for localism and rural University of services Essex Family Solutions The list grows, but I feel very Colchester Delivers and Complex Police and Crime Commissioner Needs work Conference for Voluntary Sector 7 privileged that you, our groups continue to allow me to be your representative voice, and we are already working on some future initiatives. Keep telling us what you want us to do on your behalf. Some tempters and thoughts for voluntary action moving forward could be; As always, a thank you to our partners, in particular the Colchester Borough Council for their continued support, and again an increase of 2% to the sector, knowing how difficult this must have been to achieve, but equally important to maintain the strength of delivery we have. To the Trustees, volunteers and last but not least my wonderful team, who have flourished again this year, and never-waiver, they are the often unseen champions of all that we do. Moving forward, the horizon nationally is bleak as cuts continue to impact on services, and our communities reach out to us to solve their increasing needs of training, find funding, or moreover helping them to survive. This we continue to do, always remembering “where there is a will there is a way”. Tracy Rudling CEO 8 Community Development Project Report In June 2012, the nation came together to celebrate a 60th anniversary in a number of entertaining, inspiring and interesting ways. At the same time, the Community Development Project reached the close of its second full year of activity. Whilst our project milestones do not glitter with a royal sparkle, I think that we are able to make some comparisons between achievements in 2012-13 and those elements of the Jubilee that brought people together, demonstrated the value of communities and the people that make them. Jubilant Celebration! Events have been notable highlights during the last year. Our annual Volunteers’ Lunch became a Volunteers’ Jubilee, awarding certificates to volunteers from across Colchester Borough. The 115 attendees filled the Moot Hall to offer their thanks for the important role that volunteers play within our communities. We were fortunate to welcome the Olympic Torch Relay to the town, and particularly lucky as an organisation to find our main office located on the route. Many voluntary and community groups staged activities for their service users. We hosted a barbeque breakfast and engaged in a friendly battle of the bands with the Minories (Jonathan did the project proud on the drums and the acoustics within our garage space amplified the sound very successfully!). The weather held steady for Colchester Carnival with the CCVS entry bedecked in flags from nations around the world. Small Charities Week also ran between 11th and 15th June. We facilitated a charity and community marketplace on 14th June in Colchester Town Centre in partnership with Colchester Borough Council, with 25 stalls covering the wide range of interests within the sector. We received over 500 enquiries across the stalls, including 28 newly identified carers accessing information from Essex Carers Support, and more than 60 people accessing health and wellbeing services. Co-operation and Collaboration The partnership which facilitated Small Charities Week is an example of an ever greater integration between organisations locally and regionally. We believe strongly in the effectiveness of careful partnership working and have put this into practice. In 2012 we co-founded the EssexConnects online voluntary and community directory in conjunction with Braintree District Voluntary Support Agency, Chelmsford CVS and Maldon and District CVS. This site