Volunteering for Stronger Communities Project starts in Islington
Volunteering for Stronger Communities Project starts in Islington
This week a new project to encourage and support volunteering in communities most affected by the recession got started in Islington. Paul Stephenson joined Voluntary Action Islington as the member of staff leading on the project. Paul has a background in running a local befriending scheme, organising volunteers who campaign on human rights and coordinating volunteers who distribute surplus food from business to people who need it.
Mike Sherriff, Chief Executive of Voluntary Action Islington said “This project will play an important role in transforming volunteering in Islington. The project will support local people who want to keep using existing skills, gain new skills and experience, and make a positive contribution to the community. It will enable us to work more effectively with local organisations to develop new volunteering opportunities and undertake more outreach to recruit new volunteers.”
Voluntary Action Islington is one of only 15 Volunteer Centres to receive a share of a £1.9m Big Lottery Fund grant for this project, led by Volunteering England. It did so because it was an accredited Volunteer Centre with a strong track record of placing volunteers in Islington. Andy Murphy, Chair of Voluntary Action Islington said “This is an example of the additional resources that Voluntary Action Islington can bring to the borough when there is core support from the Local Authority. We are delighted that we were selected to be part of this project that will be pioneering new ways of supporting local citizen involvement. It will make a big difference at a local level during a time of real need”
