News & Events
Please contact the VANS Office on 01934 416486 or email [email protected]
8 May 2024
£490k in National Lottery Funding secured to launch ‘Improving Ageing in North Somerset’
Voluntary Action North Somerset (VANS) is thrilled to announce the successful securing of £490,000 in funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for the ground-breaking “Improving Ageing in North Somerset” project. Over the course of five years, this initiative will revolutionise support systems and services for older individuals across the region.
The “Improving Ageing in North Somerset” project aims to address the diverse needs and challenges faced by older members of our community through a multifaceted approach. Key components of the project include:
- Recruiting Community Mentors: Empowering older individuals to serve as mentors within their communities, providing guidance, support, and wisdom to others.
- Newsletter by Older People: Producing a newsletter written and produced by older individuals, ensuring that their voices are heard and their stories shared.
- Supporting older people from marginalised groups: Reaching out to seldom heard groups of older people, including those with sensory impairments, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those facing racial or ethnic inequality, to ensure inclusivity and representation.
- Rural Support: Providing tailored support for older people in rural areas, recognising and addressing the unique challenges they face.
- Tackling Ageism: Working to tackle ageism and promote an age-friendly approach throughout North Somerset.
- Ensuring the voice of older people is heard: Putting the lived experiences of older people at the forefront, ensuring that their perspectives shape the services and support they receive.
- Creating Forums for older people: Establishing forums where older individuals can come together to discuss their needs, share experiences, and contribute to shaping their local environment.
- Training for Partners: Providing training for partners across various sectors, including voluntary, community, and statutory organisations, to ensure a coordinated and effective approach to supporting older adults.
“We are incredibly grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for their generous support of the ‘Improving Ageing in North Somerset’ project,” said Dr Mandy Gardner, CEO at VANS. “This funding will enable us to make a tangible difference in the lives of older members of our community, ensuring that they are supported, valued, and empowered to thrive.”
The “Improving Ageing in North Somerset” project represents a significant step forward in creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for older individuals in our region. VANS looks forward to working closely with partners, stakeholders, and the community to ensure the success of this vital initiative.
20 September 2023
VANS awarded National Accreditation
We are pleased to announce that the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) has awarded us with a Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation (VCQA), the quality mark for organisations delivering the five local Volunteer Centre functions. We are one of only twenty-two Volunteer Centres across the UK who currently have this accreditation that is valid for three years and we are very proud that our work to provide these services in North Somerset has been recognised as ‘excellent’ by NAVCA.
Through the rigorous VCQA process, we were able to reflect on our work, talk about our strengths and areas for development and demonstrate that our work has impact and value across our communities under the five functions of, strategic development of volunteering; good practice development; brokerage; developing volunteering opportunities and being the voice of volunteering.
Dr Mandy Gardner, our CEO, explained why we applied for the accreditation “Volunteering is core to our work at VANS, and we believe that reflecting on our current practice and being given external feedback is critical to improving and celebrating volunteering in North Somerset. Whilst it was a straightforward process that was very thought provoking, it made us reflect on our everyday practice.
We learned that we need to continually collect the evidence of the impact that our work is having. It is very easy to do something and not build in time to really learn from, and celebrate the impacts that volunteers have made to improving people’s lives in North Somerset.
Being awarded this quality mark shows we are doing the right things and that we have been approved by an external body. Accreditation reflects everyone’s hard work and it enables us to share our insights and learning across the wider voluntary sector, enabling us to enhance volunteering and good practice across North Somerset and beyond. Going through the accreditation process has given us the space to assess our volunteer programme, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes.
The VCQA also provides prospective volunteers and VCFSE organisations with the assurance that they are working with a well-managed, trusted and reputable organisation and that having been independently assessed, our good practice is confirmed. It can also help retain volunteers by demonstrating a commitment to their well-being and satisfaction.”
Image L-R: Dr Mandy Gardner (VANS CEO), Bernie Micklewright (VANS Volunteering & Events Lead) receiving the Accreditation Certificate from VANS Chair of Trustees, Delyth Lloyd-Evans
