With over 27 years of experience in the voluntary sector in our area, we have grown from our original iteration as a Local Volunteer Development Agency known as “The Volunteer Agency” to VANS as we know it today. The Volunteer Agency was set up in response to a clear demand from the community and community organisations.
There have been many developments and changes for VANS from cuts in funding, increasing/decreasing numbers in staff, and changes to leadership while remaining proactive in meeting the ever-changing needs of our communities and being the voice of our sector.
We introduced the Volunteering Centre to North Somerset community groups/charities and residents, which is now managed online, and gained accreditation for this service for a further three years in 2023.
We played a pivotal role in North Somerset during COVID-19 and beyond when we took on the management of volunteers supporting the vaccination programme for Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset and supporting our local mutual aid groups who were looking after their immediate communities. As VANS has developed, we have increased our portfolio of work, championing the work of the non-profit-making sector as laid out in our objectives.
Going forward, we will be consolidating VANS in its position in North Somerset and the wider community, increasing our profile across the West of England. Our key areas of work for the team are:
Accredited Volunteer Centre – As the accredited volunteer centre through NAVCA, the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service, VANS promotes volunteering opportunities through our online volunteer centre and brokers links between individuals seeking to volunteer and local vacancies.
Reclaim – we continue the ongoing development of Reclaim, our domestic abuse counselling service. Our latest development is a programme working with those survivors who are experiencing disability and chronic pain (with conversations at a national level)
Children & Young People – manage volunteers on behalf of North Somerset Council to provide volunteer service at Children’s Centres. Our CYP Lead is also relaunching our North Somerset CYP Network.
Ageing Well – successful in a recent application to the National Lottery to fund a 5-year project looking specifically at Ageing Well.
Equality, Diversity, and Physical Activity – This work has a programme to develop and create networks for people of minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+. We also lead a programme that supports people experiencing barriers to accessing physical activity and sports.
Volunteering – We have produced a Volunteer Strategy for North Somerset and are now working in partnership with other non-profit organisations to write a strategic action plan for the North Somerset sector.
Consultancy and Specialised Projects/Programmes – examples of our recent work include developing and training learners at our local college to become Community Researchers from the programme and facilitation provider by NIHR (National Institute of Health Research) and are about to continue with a further phase of a programme of work looking at health inequalities in coastal areas with the University of Bristol. In addition to providing governance and policy support to local communities and charities.
