Welcome to the website of Gloucestershire Association for Voluntary and Community Action, or GAVCA

GAVCA Website Users Survey 2009

What do you think of our website? We are planning a major re-design, to take place over the coming months, and want to take your views into account. If you would like to share your views and experiences, please follow this link to our survey.

If you have any queries or comments about the survey, please email

 

Noticeboard

We have set up a noticeboard Blog on the Blogger website for voluntary and community organisations to use to advertise things for sale, things available for free, local events and other information you want to share. Read more...

 

Advance notice of the GAVCA AGM 2009: the Importance of Local Infrastructure

As GAVCA’s Annual General Meeting approaches again, the trustees are encouraging voluntary and community groups to make sure that they have their say in what kind of support they want and how the organisation is governed.

The AGM, which will be held on September 21st at the Civil Service Club in Cheltenham at 2pm, will highlight the importance to the voluntary organisations of strong, independent and accountable local infrastructure support services, and groups are invited to come along and  join the debate.

Sally Pickering, Chief Executive of GAVCA, said “We are pleased that Mike Martin, the Chair of  NAVCA, which provides a voice for the voluntary sector at a national level, will be joining us along with our local partners Dr Shona Arora (Gloucestershire NHS) and Andrew North (Cheltenham Borough Council). They will illustrate how organisations such as GAVCA are vital in increasing the capacity of the VCS and supporting it to be a key partner at a strategic level. I hope that colleagues from the public sector will find this event as useful and interesting as GAVCA’s VCS members and I invite them to join us for this stimulating afternoon.”

There are currently three vacant seats on GAVCA’s Board of Trustees and organisations who are members of GAVCA are invited to nominate new trustees. For more information for anyone who is interested in helping shape the future services  of GAVCA and can work strategically, contact or 01452 332424 or download and complete the application form on the website.

For more information about GAVCA membership, enabling you to not only to vote at the AGM, but also to take advantage of discounted fees for GAVCA’s training programme, contact .

Modernisation Fund Grants Programme: Online application now open for £1,000 bursaries

From 1 June to 17 July, frontline organisations with an annual turnover of between £150,000 and £750,000 are invited to apply online for a £1,000 bursary from the Government’s Modernisation Fund Grants Programme which is being delivered by Capacitybuilders.

The funding is focused on helping frontline third sector organisations to increase their impact and become more resilient through working more closely with others.  It is targeted at third sector organisations engaged in providing services that meet the needs of people  and communities affected by the recession.

The £1,000 bursaries available under Phase One of the programme will allow organisations to buy at least two days of advice and support to explore how they can become more resilient and work more closely with others, including through collaboration or merger.

From the Autumn, £10,000 grants will be available to help organisations which have gone through Phase One of the programme and would like to take further significant steps towards collaboration or merger.

To find out more about the programme, apply online for a bursary, and access other resources and support including an online self assessment tool, please visit the Modernisation website today.


Cheltenham Volunteer of the Year Award 2009

People who have benefited from the help and support of volunteers in Cheltenham are being urged to nominate their favourite unsung heroes for the town’s "Volunteer of the Year" awards. Go here for more details.

The 'Big Lunch’

Voluntary and Community groups are being encouraged to take part in organising  local events on July 19th as part of the “Big Lunch”. Launched by Hazel Blears earlier in April, this is aninvite to everyone across the UK to sit down to eat lunch together with the neighbours in their street in an event similar to a ‘street party’.

This is a new and ambitious initiative, which was conceived by the Eden Project, aims to encourage neighbourhoods to come together to create a sense of community.  This will be achieved through the mediums of street music, art, theatre and locally grown food and it will culminate in the cooking and eating of the food.

The expectation is that the day after the ‘Big Lunch’ people will be able to walk down their street and know their neighbours.  The legacy in the long term will be to provide people with the tools and connections with their neighbours to strengthen their communities thus, resulting in local initiatives and activities which support community cohesion such as neighbourhood-watch schemes and supporting local charities through volunteering and money.

Could you or your community group organise a ‘Big Lunch’ in your local area?  For more information, go to www.thebiglunch.com  where there are ideas on how to organise a ‘Big Lunch’ and find out about other people in your local area planning a ‘Big Lunch’.

For more information, email info@thebiglunch.com or ring 020 7636 8152.

Did you know that you can now attend most of the training courses run by GAVCA for free?

Go to Gloucester Works - Free Training for details about how Gloucester Works can fund this and other training for anyone who lives or works in Gloucester.

Nomination for VCS Representative to South West Regional LSC Third Sector Network

Nominations are being sought from members of the Learning Consortium who would be willing to represent Gloucestershire at this regional LSC network. Download these Regional Advisory Group Terms of Reference for more information and a nomination form, or contact Sally Pickering on 01452 332424.

New pages of district information

GAVCA's website now includes information about what is happening across the County. Visit the District pages to find out more...


Membership of GAVCA

Have you thought about joining GAVCA or renewing your membership? Click here to read more about the advantages of becoming a Member or a Friend.