Launch of the 2025 State of the Sector Survey: Share Your Insights! 

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As we approach the end of 2024, it’s time once again for us to hear directly from the voluntary and community sector about the challenges and opportunities you face. From 26 November 2024 to 17 February 2025, we invite charities, not-for-profits, and community groups across Cambridgeshire to participate in this vital survey. 

This year feels calmer compared to the upheavals of recent times. Yet, beneath this relative quiet, our communities continue to grapple with complex issues—and the voluntary sector plays a crucial role in meeting these needs. 

The 2024 State of the Sector report “We get back up again” painted a challenging picture: a drop in volunteer numbers, growing demands for services, and stretched waiting lists. This evidence helped Support Cambridgeshire advocate for the invaluable contribution of charities and community groups in a landscape of tightening budgets and cuts to public services. 

Now, we need your voice again. How has your organisation fared this year? 

  • Are you still finding it difficult to recruit volunteers? 
  • Has funding improved or worsened? 
  • Are you feeling more optimistic about the future of your group? 

This survey is your opportunity to share your experiences and make sure your voice is heard. The survey is circulated with statutory officers, councillors and funders across the county.The insights you provide will help us build a clear picture of the challenges and opportunities across the sector, enabling us to advocate effectively on your behalf. 

By completing the survey, you’ll: 

  1. Contribute to a county-wide understanding of the voluntary and community sector. 
  2. Help shape strategies and policies that support your work. 
  3. Highlight emerging trends or challenges that require attention in 2025. 

It only takes a short time to complete, but the impact of your input will resonate throughout the year. All organisations that fill out the survey will be entered into a prize draw for £100 for that organisation. The closing date for the survey is 17th February 2025, and the prize draw will follow this. 

 

If you would like help completing the survey over the phone, or if you would prefer a paper copy of the survey, please call CCVS: 07935 649805. 

Support Fenland, Development Officer update

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Since joining the Support Fenland team just over three months ago it’s been a very busy time, with the project continuing to gather momentum. As a resident of Fenland and also having worked locally in the charity sector, I feel privileged to play my part in helping local groups and organisations flourish in their communities.

One of the first tasks was to plan our official launch at the Queen Mary Centre in Wisbech on 24th September. It was a great success, with over 40 group representatives and stakeholders attending. After a presentation about the project, we gathered valuable feedback hearing first-hand about some of the challenges and positive aspects experienced by the voluntary sector in Fenland. From this we identified key priorities that the project would focus on going forward.

The project launch on the 24th of September 2024.

Whilst recruiting for our communications role – I was given an extra day a week to fill the gap on an interim basis and that included compiling information for social media and writing and distributing press releases to local newspapers and magazines to heighten awareness of the project. We had some excellent coverage following our launch, and it was good to build rapport with local editors and journalists who are keen to continue to promote Support Fenland.

Here are some of the articles:

Support Cambridgeshire website Support Fenland – Support Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire Times Support Fenland project launched to assist communities | Cambs Times

Wisbech Standard  Support Fenland project launched to assist communities | Wisbech Standard

Fenland Citizen – Search – find stories and content on the Fenland Citizen site

Discovering Whittlesea /March magazine

 

The Fens magazine

The publicity has been an excellent springboard to generating more leads and conversations and has resulted in me now working with several voluntary organisations offering support with sourcing grants and funding opportunities. Another of my tasks was to write a communications mapping document highlighting and planning the communication opportunities and challenges which will influence the ongoing and future promotion of the project.

The first few months have also been about meeting, listening, and networking with different groups and looking at ways in which Support Fenland can work collaboratively. These include, I Love Wisbech, Fenland Youth Network, Integrated Neighbourhood Partnership, Collaborative Fenland (Wisbech Community Farm) and Living Sport who recently had a two-day Fenland Place Leadership Programme event in Wisbech which I found extremely beneficial in building rapport with other attendees. (see photo below)

It’s also been a time of working with our colleagues at CCVS (Volunteer Cambs) where we’ve attended events already happening in the district. This has helped to discover how Fenland communities are engaged in current work. It was great to support the team at the Volunteer Fair in Wisbech a couple of months ago and more recently in Whittlesey (see photo below).

The Support Fenland Team supports Volunteer Cambs, staff and community groups. (Whittlesey Volunteer Fair)

Having finalised the action plan for the coming year, there are lots of things in the pipeline centred around networking events and training. Including a networking event on the 3rd of December, Let’s Shape Fenland, where we welcome people to find out more about the project and talk through what’s going on around them and issues they are facing across the district. Click here if your interested to join : Click here

Then, March 2025 is Support Cambridgeshire’s Funding Month, and I’ll be delivering a Fundraising training session with lots of ideas on how to generate extra income for charities and voluntary sector groups. More details on this, plus other training opportunities, will follow soon.

My passion is to see Fenland communities go from strength to strength, and I’m committed to offering groups and organisations the support that they need, including advice and guidance on their group structure, sourcing funding, grant applications, and much more. For further information, please email me at marija@huntsforum.org.uk

Support Fenland Project Launches at Queen Mary Centre in Wisbech

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Over forty individuals from voluntary organisations across the Fenland district attended the official launch of the Support Fenland project recently. The event which was held at the Queen Mary Centre in Wisbech was an opportunity for those from the voluntary sector to hear more about the project, meet the team and find out how they could be involved. During part of the event attendees were encouraged to discuss several topics including identifying the strengths of the Fenland area and how together with the help of the Support Fenland team, their organisations could find solutions to overcoming some of the challenges that also exist. 

Support Fenland is a five-year project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund to help communities and charities across the whole of the Fenland District and is being delivered by the Support Cambridgeshire partnership (The Hunts Forum of Voluntary Organisations and Cambridge Centre of Voluntary Services also known as Hunts Forum and CCVS). Kathryn Shepherdson, Deputy CEO at Hunts Forum said “It is important that we hear first-hand the voice of those organisations based in the Fens for us to channel the support to those groups that need it. Their feedback is invaluable to us, and we look forward to working with communities and groups to ensure they flourish. Comments that we received following the event have been extremely positive, referring to the project a small group representative said, ‘If this had been about when I started up it would have been so useful.’ We want to ensure that no group or person with a good idea to help their community has to work in isolation and they are given access to support, guidance and advice when needed. 

Support Fenland offers a range of free services including training, how to identify funding sources, making successful grant applications, structuring a non- profit group, writing polices and governance, providing networking opportunities, mentoring and much more.  

Leading the project are Marija Lysak, Fenland Development Officer and Didem (Dee) Ucuncu, Fenland Communities Officer who both bring a wealth of experience from the private, charity and volunteer sectors. If you would like to know more about how Support Fenland can help you, please contact them on Fenland@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk 

New Support for Fenland Groups 

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An exciting new project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund is now available to help communities and charities across the whole of the Fenland District. Known as ‘Support Fenland’ this is a five-year project delivered by the Support Cambridgeshire partnership (Hunts Forum and CCVS). The results of a pilot project in 2021, funded by Lloyds Foundation Bank, made it possible to identify the areas of support needed by Voluntary and Community sector (VCS) groups within the Fenland area.  

We are delighted to announce that help is now available through Support Fenland. The project enables the team to work alongside those groups, identifying their needs and provide the necessary support they require to maximise their potential and flourish within their communities. 

The support available ranges from training, advice, resources and guidance on areas such as identifying funding sources, how to make successful grant applications, structuring a group or charity, writing polices, governance, volunteering and much more. This is complemented by relevant events and networking opportunities organised throughout the year on a local and district level enabling groups to share information and work together. 

The new team spearheading the project are Marija Lysak, Fenland Development Officer and Didem Ucuncu, Fenland Communities Officer who both bring a wealth of experience. They have both lived and worked in the Fenland area for many years and have firsthand experience of some of the challenges facing community groups. They are passionate to see communities within the area, thrive and go from strength to strength.

Marija has over 25 years of experience of working in the private, education and charity sectors as a Business Development Manager, Education Consultant, Outreach Manager for a refugee support charity and Pastoral roles. Outside of work Marija volunteers on the Whittlesey Festival Steering Committee, helping to organise this popular community event. She has strong links with local schools and enjoys taking sessions that inspire all ages to get involved in the performing and creative arts.  

Didem (Dee) has 14 years of experience in the private sector and as well as being a busy mum, has dedicated the past two years to volunteering within Wisbech. She currently volunteers as a Walk Leader for the Ramblers Wellbeing Walks, a Timekeeper at Parkrun, Vice President of the Wisbech Lions Club, and a Community Listener/Community Project Researcher for Healthwatch Peterborough & Cambridgeshire.  

The Support Fenland project will be launched at an event on Tuesday 24 September in Wisbech. This will be an opportunity to hear more about the project, meet the team and see how you can be involved. For further information about the event or to find out more about Support Fenland please email Marija at marija@huntsforum.org.uk or Dee at didem@huntsforum.org.uk  

Consultation now open for proposed reservoir in the Fens

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Anglian Water in partnership with Cambridge Water are proposing a new reservoir in the Fens to help meet the growing demands on water supply in the East of England.
The new reservoir is at the heart of a whole new water supply project. Together with the associated water infrastructure they need to transfer water to the reservoir, treat the water, and supply it to homes and businesses, which will secure a reliable water supply for generations to come.They are contacting you because they are interested in receiving feedback from those whose voices are often seldom heard in the infrastructure decision-making process. They would like to hear your views about our proposed reservoir in the Fens and its associated water infrastructure, both during their current consultation (which closes on 9 August) and as the project continues to evolve in the coming months.  

They are also interested in knowing how best to engage with the community. They have provided multiple channels for engagement (described below), but they would also like this to be the start of a more direct conversation with the community about their proposals. They’d appreciate any ideas and suggestions you have for us to better reach the communities your organisation works with and represents. They would like to speak to you if you have the time so that we can better understand the community and how best to engage with them. If you can do this, please let them know when you are available, and they will set up a call.Ways to find out about our proposals, including which areas they affect: 

– Website, www.fensreservoir.co.uk
– In-person public events (a table of when these are taking place is attached)
– Contacting us at info@fensreservoir.co.uk
– Calling our freephone number 0800 915 2492 (please note this is a voicemail service and we will call you back).Ways to provide feedback:

 – Filling in the feedback form on our website, www.fensreservoir.co.uk 
 – Filling in a hard copy version of our feedback form and sending it to our Freepost address, Freepost Fens Reservoir.

Community engagement funding comes to Fenland

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Following the earlier funding received by Support Cambridgeshire for their work in Fenland, the partnership is thrilled to announce an additional five-year grant from the National Lottery Community Fund. This funding will continue to support and develop voluntary and community sector groups and organisations throughout the county.

The Support Fenland project began in 2021 with funding from Lloyds Foundation Bank, initiating a one-year pilot project to assess the support needed by voluntary and community groups in Fenland for further development. The outcome highlighted the essential need for such support across the district to maximise the potential of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS).

In response to the pivotal findings of this pilot, Support Cambridgeshire applied for funding from various sources, with successful outcomes. This initiative builds upon the groundwork laid by the pilot project, focusing on enhancing and expanding support and advisory services throughout Fenland. The project’s ethos emphasises collaborative efforts with local communities to develop resilient support systems tailored by and for the communities.

 

Julie Farrow, CEO of Hunts Forum and lead on Support Cambridgeshire, expressed her enthusiasm, stating, “We are excited that we can now offer the communities of Fenland the same type of support that other districts receive. This five-year funding will enable us further to enhance the voluntary and community sector’s wonderful work.”

 

With years of experience collaborating with staff and volunteers from various charities and community groups across the county, both partners specialise in providing guidance, training, and support. They aim to empower individuals in these organisations, equipping them with the necessary skills and confidence to secure funding, expand their outreach, and effect positive change within local communities. Furthermore, both organisations facilitate the establishment of new groups, amplify community voices, and foster knowledge sharing among groups.

While Fenland groups haven’t received bespoke support like some other districts, this new project aims to rectify that. It will begin by engaging with existing groups, local residents, and other stakeholders to determine necessary changes to support charities and communities better. Drawing on their experience, the partners will provide more training, assistance, and opportunities for collaboration.

 

Mark Freeman, CEO at CCVS, shared his excitement, stating, “Fenland communities are already making significant contributions, and we are thrilled to see that with this funding from the National Lottery Communities Fund, we can complement existing efforts to enhance further and develop what works within the district.”

 

The project is poised to ensure that Fenland’s charities and community groups consistently have the resources and support necessary to cultivate healthier, happier communities.

This project would not be possible without the funding received from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Fenland Community Living Rooms – Want to be part of these new community spaces?

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After being successful with a ‘Know You Neighbourhood‘ funding application, Cambridgeshire ACRE is delighted to be able to support town and parish councils, village hall committees, church communities, local charities and other community groups to establish a network of Community Living Rooms in Fenland this autumn. These must run from publicly accessible community buildings, such as community centres, village halls, churches and their halls, older peoples’ day centres, youth centres and community libraries.

They are very similar to Warm Hubs, but the name ‘Warm Hubs’ has been changed to reflect community feedback and to ensure that the diverse needs of all visitors are considered. Cambridgeshire ACRE believes visitors will largely attend their local Community Living Room for companionship and to make social connections. However, loneliness is a complex issue, and attendees elsewhere have also been found to be experiencing poor health, with many having specific vulnerabilities, frailty, disability or poor mental health.

Cambridgeshire ACRE expects Community Living Rooms to reflect the needs of each community, so some might evolve out of groups that already meet, for example, you may already be holding a community café or coffee morning or breakfast club; some might be arranged around other activities such as a playgroup or older people’s / friendship club and others might be completely new in their set-up as a Community Living Room.

To become established, they need your community to identify a team of a minimum 3 volunteers and a publicly accessible community venue that can offer a warm and safe place where local people can expect a friendly and inclusive welcome.

Cambridgeshire ACRE’s offer to help you get your Community Living Room’s doors open includes:

 

  • A supported volunteering programme that will help you establish and run a Community Living Room that reflects the needs of your own community. Cambs ACRE will check building suitability; provide volunteers with training; give support with safeguarding and health & safety policies; and supply materials to promote your Community Living Room and its value to your community. There will also be monthly networking events so you can share ideas and experiences with others across Fenland.
  • A grant for two years to allow for building rental, heating, refreshments and any additional specialist equipment that might be needed to make your Community Living Room successful.
  • A team of ‘Village Agents’ who will be available at a parish level to provide help, support and solutions for the health and social care needs of those who might visit your Community Living Room.
  • Being part of a UK Government-funded project which will provide learning to others regarding approaches to supporting community loneliness and volunteering across the UK.

Would you like to know more?

Cambridgeshire ACRE invite you to join us for a short online event on Thursday 14 September 2023 at 6pm where they will present more information on Community Living Rooms; the support you will receive from us if you take part; and answer any questions you might have. Please register to attend by clicking on the button below and completing the online form

Register to attend here

 

Expressing an interest in taking part

After the online event, they will invite you to express an interest if you wish to explore this opportunity further. You are welcome to complete an Expression of Interest form now, if you wish – please just click on the button below to access. Cambs ACRE will be in touch to discuss the establishment of a Community Living Room in your community after next Thursday’s event.

Complete Expression of Intrest Form Here

 

Not in Fenland? Cambridgeshire ACRE can also support Community Hubs in East and South Cambs. For more information about this or any of the above please contact Alison Brown alison.brown@cambsacre.org.uk 

Nominate your Wisbech Unsung Heroes

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It’s time to nominate your Wisbech Unsung Heroes

This autumn sees the return of Wisbech Unsung Heroes – a chance to recognise those who go the extra mile to help the town and community.

The awards are back for a third time after a two year hiatus thanks to the pandemic and so it’s time to get nominating your Wisbech Unsung Heroes as the competition is relaunched today (Wednesday).

Wisbech Town Council is running the Wisbech Unsung Heroes Awards with support from the Fenland Citizen and the aim is to recognise those townspeople who go the extra mile for their community.

The awards were initially launched in 2017 with an awards ceremony in early 2018.

This year we have seven categories: Best Neighbour (that person who goes out of the way to help those around them), Best Customer Service (could be shop, business or even medical person), Best Business (a firm that has made an outstanding contribution to the town), Wisbech Hero (someone who has done something heroic like help in an emergency), Roger Green Sports Award (someone who has made a fantastic contribution to sport in the town – participant or coach), Wisbech Community Hero (someone who has made a major contribution to help the local community), Wisbech Youth Community Hero (as per previous award for anyone under 18).

A panel of judges will choose the winners in each category from those nominated.
All those shortlisted will be invited to a presentation evening which will be held on Saturday January 28 at the Queen Mary Centre in Queens Road, Wisbech.

So, if you know someone who deserves recognition, why not nominate them – by writing all of the following details: Your name, name of the person you are nominating, contact details for both you and your hero, and a short piece explaining why you have nominated them for whichever award you have chosen, and post it to Wisbech Town Council, Town Hall, North Brink, Wisbech PE13 1JR, or email the same information to info@wisbechtowncouncil.gov.uk before Wednesday, December 14.

Coun Sam Hoy said: “These awards aim to recognise Wisbech people who have done something special for our town. We have some amazing people living here.

“We all know people who do extra things to help the community or us as individuals, so now is the time to give them recognition.”

Jeremy Ransome, Citizen editor, added: “We are proud to support these awards. It is always nice to recognise people who do things that make our community a good place to live.”

Young People’s Counselling Service Parent and Caregivers Group starts up in Wisbech

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The Young People’s Counselling Service is offering a supportive group for parents and caregivers who have concerns about their child’s mood, behaviour or mental health. This may include young people who refuse or are reluctant to go to school, who seem worried, and young people with low mood or seem to feel down about themselves. The group is open to parents and caregivers of both primary and secondary school age young people.

The group is run by an experienced therapist to offer parents and caregivers a safe space to share, talk about their experiences and to connect with other families. The therapist is on-hand to offer any advice and answer any questions. We would also like to share mindfulness techniques that can be used at home to help young people – and encourage our group members to have a go during our group time to practice these techniques for themselves and have some time for relaxation.

The group will take place weekly in the cosy setting of the Annabelle Davis Centre (Wisbech) and we will have refreshments available.

To learn more or to book your place for the group, please email kirsty.skutela@ypcs.uk.

Day: Tuesday

Time: 1:30pm – 3pm

Location: Annabelle Davis Centre

St. Peter’s Lodge

Love Lane

Wisbech

PE13 1HP

 

How our Community Engagement Lead rose to the challenge in Fenland

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As hundreds of thousands of elderly people start to receive their autumn coronavirus booster vaccine this week, Debbie Drew, our Community Engagement Lead Fenland, talks about the challenges and barriers she faced in setting up the vaccination programme in the Fenland region.

As Debbie says, ‘I was employed to look at vaccine hesitancy and uptake in Fenland, particularly with the Eastern European Community and the Homeless. To enable this, two local organisations were engaged and funded to provide workers. Ferry project had one full-time worker, and Access Migrant support had a Latvian / Russian speaker and a Lithuanian speaker’.

‘Having these two organisations on board helped break down some of the barriers (particularly language for me) as they already had a trusted presence in the community.’

‘The project did various things over the year but included a lot of engagement with businesses. Often the workers in the businesses have the information we needed, particularly issues arising and general feelings towards a vaccine.’

‘Since March this year, we have been investigating places where we could bring a roving vaccination team to the different communities. This was either by hiring a room or bringing the vaccination vehicle to a site. Therefore, I spent time visiting all the four market towns (and some villages) to see where we might get a good response’.

‘I found a suitable venue in Chatteris, and the first pop-up we did there was during a big storm day (we nearly cancelled), but we still saw 54 people turn up for vaccination. However, booking the venue and turning up does not alone produce consistent numbers. Therefore, during the previous week, I organised for some posters and flyers to be printed and hand-delivered to shops, doctor’s surgeries, sports venues and anywhere else that will take them’.

‘Engaging directly with local businesses on the ground proved to be a great help.  Going around and speaking to everyone and sharing information, as well as answering general questions, proved extremely helpful and led to great attendance at these events. The highest turnout was 141 in Chatteris after the Spring Booster was announced. The businesses have all gotten to know me, and I have no problem asking them to share the information’.

‘The most important thing that I have learned is that although there is hesitancy around vaccines for many people, there were bigger issues facing them. The main one is limited access – if you live in a village and do not drive, getting to a mass vaccination site is difficult- local transport is not always the best. Many people also found that the opening times were not suitable or the slots at weekends were unavailable’.

‘Many people had been offered vaccinations 20 to 30 miles away, but this was too far to travel for some, especially for those who didn’t deem vaccinations or boosters’ top priority. Even now, at some of our recent pop-up sessions, we are still getting people coming for their first-time vaccination’.

‘If the public were carers (this can include parents), getting to a vaccine centre takes time and meant time away from caring for, which was not always possible. When you have several children, taking them all to a vaccination centre is not ideal either. Thus the more local approach tended to suit these people’.

‘Needle phobia was another reason people did not attend the vaccination centres.  However, at the pop-up sites, the staff were able to offer to see people in a quieter environment and gave them extra time & support’.

Debbie concluded by saying ‘Although we have had some great results this year, I cannot get complacent and will keep pressing hard and setting up pop-up sessions wherever we can.  With infections falling, health bosses are still predicting a rise in Covid and flu cases this winter, which is expected to increase the pressure on hospitals’.

The funding and project are due to finish on 18th October 2022. To find out about the vaccination programme in Fenland before then, please get in touch with Debbie on 07955440672 or email her at debbie@huntsforum.org.uk.

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