 About Us
Newark & Sherwood CVS came into being after the need for a local development agency to promote and support voluntary activity was identified by the local voluntary sector and by Social Services. Nottinghamshire County Council provided funding for one full time worker and some administrative support and Newark & Sherwood District Council provided an office in their Kelham Hall base. Shortly after the CVS was established, the District Council in partnership with the Nottinghamshire Building Preservation Trust, restored the 16th Century BedeHouse Chapel and offered it to the CVS to use as a Volunteer Bureau. Funding was found to employ a part time Bureau Organiser and the development of CVS had begun! In the years that followed, a number of milestones are worth recording: In 1987 the Voluntary Transport Scheme which had started life as a Volunteer Bureau ‘sideline’, received Opportunities for Volunteering funding and became a separate project with it’s own Co-ordinator. Today the Transport Scheme is one of the largest and most successful in the County. In 1991, the CVS moved into its own premises at 85 Millgate, Newark and was able to offer a range of practical resources to voluntary and community groups including use of meeting rooms, photocopier and free loan of equipment. In 1992 Newark & Sherwood CVS became a Company Limited by Guarantee in addition to having charitable status. In 1992 the establishment of District Partnership Officer posts in all the North Nottinghamshire CVSs showed recognition of the value of CVS input into the local Health Agenda. From 1999 to 2001 we received Lottery funding, enabling us to operate two full time Volunteer Bureaux, one on each side of the District and also to employ a full time Training Officer. This venture proved to be a great success but unfortunately we were unable to access sufficient funding to continue after 2001. As many of you are aware, in the voluntary sector success does not automatically guarantee continuation funding. In 1999 CVS received Investors in People accreditation and has been successfully reassessed in 2000 and 2003. In 2003, the Volunteer Bureau also achieved Quality Assurance accreditation from Volunteering England. In 2000 we were successful in gaining funding from the Lottery to establish a Funding Officer post. This post helped to bring into the district over a million pounds over a three year period. We have been successful in identifying funding to ensure this post continues for a further three years. This year our funding website, http://www.moneyspinner.org/ was launched. This website offers a comprehensive funding service to groups in our district. This year, we have also been working with the Community Development Project to facilitate a Community and Voluntary Sector Forum (Newark & Sherwood Community Action Network – CAN). This is an exciting new development for community and voluntary groups in the district and it is hoped that CAN will eventually have sufficient support and influence necessary to enable it to be a powerful voice for the voluntary and community sectors.
Newark & Sherwood CVS now employs 10 people who offer a range of services to groups and individuals. We are proud of the fact that we have never lost sight of our roots and continue to see support for local groups and individuals as our main function. We hope to build on these achievements over the next 25 years.
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