york cvs annual review 2013

Lifeline support for Early Years – page 6

Annual Review

Lord Mayor celebrates launch of Healthwatch York – page 9

Rachel’s story on BBC Three – page 3

Creative fundraising gets a boost – page 5

September 2013

2 | YorkCVS Annual Review 2013 YorkCVS Annual Review 2013 | 3

“I’ve lived with an eating disorder for 17 years. I started looking for support in York, but there was nothing that met my needs. I thought about setting a peer support group up myself, but just didn’t know where to start.

“A friend who works for St. Nicholas Fields mentioned that they had a good relationship with York CVS, and that CVS might be able to mentor me and help me along the way. I called and spoke to Garry, who reassured me that the group was a good idea and very achievable.

“When I came with the film crew, I was so nervous. What if no-one would be interested in the group? But that initial meeting put a whole new perspective on things. Garry and Natasha talked me through everything, and then set out an action plan.

“The peer support group has now been running for four months, and has seven members. Working with Natasha has been amazing – knowing that someone else believes in the project as much as I do, and is at the end of the phone whenever I need to talk through things. We’re now ready to take it to the next level, so I’ll be talking to Melody about exploring some funding options. Natasha has given us some great network connections too, such as other eating disorder groups who have given us

invaluable advice. I’m now working with some of the other projects, which has given me more confidence.

“Without York CVS, I couldn’t have done this. I haven’t got

experience in this area, or any professional qualifications. Having someone behind me, keeping me on track, makes it all achievable.”

Sometimes activity means change, and you’ll certainly see that in the pages that follow, with new projects and new staff. There’s a change at the helm after a challenging but very successful three years, as Garry Jones takes on the Chief Executive mantle from Angela Portz. We see the departure of our long-standing Head of Finance, Alison Smith. Gratitude and praise for everything they have both accomplished in their time here.

Activity can also mean stability; an ingredient in short supply during these turbulent times. At York CVS we continue to provide support to our members and the wider Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sSector day in, day out. Overleaf you’ll find some key insights as to how much this is valued by organisations, their trustees, employees and volunteers.

Stability, though, should never mean stagnation. We have been working

hard refreshing how we look and communicate, clarifying what we have to offer our customers, and how it is delivered. We believe in working together, and that includes furthering joint projects and mutual understanding with partners.

The balance of change and stability is the overarching balancing act that York CVS, in tune with much of the Sector, is facing. Our trustees remain conscious of the background work that underpins and mirrors the kind of support that we offer to you; often not that glamorous, but absolutely necessary to get you where you are going.

And it is with that in mind that York CVS continues to protect a level of free support for all voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, and strives to maintain fairness in what we do have to charge for. Over the coming year, we’ll continue to assess

how to place our resources most effectively for you, listening to what you have to say about us.

As you read on; a request to consider. If you are not already a member of York CVS, please become one.

Firstly, it gains you access to really good advice and support. We are willing to bet you’ll not find the same value, quality and dedicated level of service anywhere else in York.

Secondly, it strengthens our collective voice each time we have something to say. Whatever the subject, we can be heard more with more members.

Finally, it’s the right thing to do. Social, environmental and economic justice lie at the heart of our Sector. Standing together in its pursuit makes it more do-able – whichever wonderful, inspiring, ridiculously ambitious piece of that puzzle your individual dreams are about.

Keep dreaming. We are right behind you.

Rosemary Suttill (Chair),Garry Jones and Angela Portz

Welcome

BBC documentary for York CVS

In July, CVS Development’s Garry Jones and Natasha Almond appeared in BBC Three documentary Failed by the NHS. The programme featured Rachel who, as a teenager, had suffered from an eating disorder. Rachel wanted to start up a support group in York to help other young people in the same situation…

What an active year we’ve had! At York CVS, being active is about planning, organising, liaising, communicating and delivering services. It’s doing what’s necessary to ensure that we, with partners, meet the needs of communities in York – now and in the future.

Rachel’s story


How did the project come about?Janet: Last year we reported on the success of our funding bid from the Office for Civil Society – together with York Cares and Your Consortium, York CVS was awarded £258,000 for activities to improve the support infrastructure for voluntary and community groups in York. 2012–13 saw our first full year of delivery, and much of our energy went into activities to help front line groups – the Accelerating Enterprise scheme.

What have been the challenges?Debbie: The topic of ‘enterprise’ is very broad, and when it comes to the voluntary sector it means different things to different groups. In January we launched a series of Enterprise

Evenings to help groups work out what it means for them – which could be anything from trading, delivering contracts or asking for sponsorship.

Janet: Winning and delivering contracts can be quite daunting the first time, too, and so we drew on a comprehensive training programme called ‘Bringing it all Together’ to help groups do just that. This was developed by our partner Your Consortium; their expertise lies in winning large public contracts, which voluntary sector groups then deliver.

Debbie: A key part of our work has also been to harness the skills of business volunteers to help community groups. This was done through York Cares, a partnership of the city’s leading employers.

What have been the highlights?Debbie: 27 people attended the first Enterprise Evening – they gave us great feedback and a clear steer that marketing is a really urgent topic for many groups. So the next event was dedicated to marketing, with speakers from PR and brand agencies as well as the Editor of the Press, Steve Hughes. Small groups don’t regularly have access to that level of support, for free.

Janet: A particular highlight for me was the Enterprise Fund. We gave small groups the chance to access £250 of funding to get a new fundraising idea off the ground. The innovation amazed us – Friends of Scarcroft School received a grant to buy a candyfloss machine, while YUMI used their grant to print recipe cards that they could sell to raise more money.

Transformation and changeSince April 2012, York CVS (alongside York Cares and Your Consortium) has been Making Infrastructure Everyone’s Business. As the project comes to an end, Janet Thompson and Debbie Megone talk about their experience of the partnership affectionately known as ‘Meeb’...

Eating, drinking, creative thinking

For small groups, £250 can go a long way. YUMI explains why the Enterprise Fund was so important to them…

“YUMI does lots of things that involve food. We have people from all over the world who share their cooking skills. And we have a community garden where we grow both traditional and unusual vegetables – from tomatoes to tomatillos and cabbages to red shak. So when we started to think of new ways to make money, we came up with an idea that brings this together.

“We wanted to take our unique recipes and turn them into attractive recipe cards, which we can sell to raise money. We haven’t tried this before and we didn’t know if it would work. The Enterprise Fund came along at just the right time. We applied and were awarded £250 to put towards this project.”

Find the YUMI recipe cards at facebook.com/yumiyork

How YUMI made the most of Accelerating Enterprise


Community Accounting Network North Yorkshire (CANNY) has exceeded its target to reach 300 groups by the end of year five.

Figures released by the project at the end of its fourth year show that more than 340 voluntary and community groups from across the York & North Yorkshire have now accessed the service.

265 groups have already reported an improvement in their knowledge and skills in managing their group’s finances.

Vin McDermott is the Lead Community Accountant for the project: “CANNY has had a fantastic response from voluntary and community groups from day one. Everyone involved is thrilled with this achievement, and we’re all looking forward to another year supporting groups within our region.”

York CVS Head of Finance, Alison Smith, played a key role in putting the original application together: “We were always confident the service would be popular with voluntary and community groups, but to see the project exceeding its targets like this with a year still left to run is quite an achievement.”

The project also offers a cost-effective Charity Accounts Preparation & Independent Examination Service for small charities (incomes up to £500k), to help meet statutory requirements. Email [email protected] to find out more.

Many pre-school groups, out of school clubs and nurseries around York – from city settings to rural villages – have found themselves on the brink of closing as their finances have been stretched.

York CVS works closely with City of York Council to make sure that groups who are struggling aren’t left to face the pressures alone. Craig Waugh, York CVS Development Coordinator for Children, Young People and Families, explains:

“If a playgroup closes, that has a massive impact on the community. Parents can struggle to find alternative childcare, and that social connection – for children and parents – disappears. We work out what support the committee or owner needs to get back on track. It might

The building gives the charity a base in the heart of the community, and Church members are keen to get to work supporting local people.

Peter White from LWC explains: “Times are tough and many families are struggling. One of the ways we want to help is by offering free courses in Healthy Eating and Cooking on a Budget. But this means a kitchen re-fit and, even though we thought funding might be available, we had no idea where to start. A Church member told

us how helpful York CVS had been when they were considering a business venture, so I arranged an appointment to speak to Melody Clarke.”

With Melody’s guidance, LWC put together everything they need to approach other organisations and charities for funding. Melody also provided the group with a list of local charities, and advice on training courses that could further develop their funding knowledge.

York CVS Development offered face to face support on the charity status that would be the most suitable, while also reviewing and enhancing the group’s Articles of Association. Natasha Almond spent some time talking about good governance of the charity and the role of trustees, which achieved “more than days and weeks spent trying to research the topic on our own.” Following the meeting,

the trustees felt “empowered and confident that we knew how to provide the governance needed, while acting within the applicable laws.”

Funding adviser Melody Clarke then provided direction on submitting better funding applications, and information on how to access data that is available to support bids. Two of Kyra’s trustees plan to attend further finance training

delivered by Vin McDermott to develop sound financial practices.

“Our aim is to become a trusted and known charity in York, delivering tangible benefits for our target group. This journey would be more challenging and difficult without the participation and involvement from York CVS.”

The kids are alright

CASE STUDY:

KYRA

CASE STUDY: LIVING WORLD CHURCH

Kyra is a new organisation that seeks to provide a safe, inclusive environment that enables women to pursue their own development and make positive changes for themselves, families and their community.

Living Word Church (LWC) is a York-based Christian charity. It recently began an exciting journey to build its work in one of the most deprived areas of the city by purchasing the former Fossway pub.

be help with budgeting, restructuring or fundraising advice. We’ll help any way we can.”

For Panda Playgroup in Copmanthorpe, support from York CVS was a lifeline. After the committee accessed CVS training courses last year, Treasurer Emma Wasson started using the free Vycount system to update the accounts. She soon became aware that the group was having a tougher year than they first thought:

“We looked into applying for a sustainability grant to help with our marketing costs” says Emma. “Vin, Karen and Craig took us through the process, and thankfully we secured the funding. Panda also runs a drop-in session for new parents in the village to meet and use our baby weighing scales. They’ve told us that if this service was cut, they would really struggle.”

Cuts to funding, changes to school admission policies and the rising cost of living has seen mounting pressure on Early Years settings.

CANNY tops targets


What does your work consist of?York CVS facilitates a number of Forums of organisations – working with people who have mental health problems, learning difficulties, older people and people with long-term conditions, and children, young people and families. There is also an overall Forum aimed at all voluntary organisations. It’s my job to oversee this work.

What happens in the Forums?The Forums give all the voluntary organisations, community groups, faith organisations and social enterprises working in those particular areas the opportunity to come together. That way, they can share issues faced by their beneficiaries, share good practice and, most particularly, ensure their views and issues are represented at the appropriate Partnership Board. This is important because the Partnership

Boards then go ahead and create policies, and commission and design services for people in York.

What was your highlight of 2013?Holding a health information event at Priory Street Centre on 18th March. It was a platform to introduce the new health structures to the Sector just before they were implemented on 1st April. The new structures included the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group coming into being, Public Health moving from the Primary Care Trust into City of York Council, introduction of the new Healthwatch York and the Health and Wellbeing Board moving from ‘shadow’ form into statutory, public meetings.

What impact have these changes had on the sector?The Health and Wellbeing Board has four new Partnership Boards carrying out the work. The Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) has representatives on all of them (and on the Health and Wellbeing Board itself), meaning that the sector can raise any issues and find out how they slot into this ‘bigger picture’. They can do that via one of the Forums, or come straight to me and I’ll find a way. It’s still quite early days, but I am logging all the ‘issues’ we’ve raised so far and am keeping track of progress.

If you’d like to know more about how York CVS represents people in York, email [email protected] or call Catherine on 01904 683820.

New voice for Health and Wellbeing BoardIn April, Siân Balsom was invited to join the Health and Wellbeing Board in her new role as Manager of Healthwatch York.

Siân will represent the views of patients and the public, and will sit alongside the Chief Executive of York CVS who represents the VCSE.

The Board is made up of representatives from different organisations in York, who work together to improve the health and wellbeing of the city’s residents. These include City of York Council, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and North Yorkshire Police.

Siân said: “We’re thrilled that Healthwatch York has been granted a seat on York’s Health and Wellbeing Board. This seat belongs to every person in York. We are determined to use it to help improve care services for all.”

Find out more at healthwatchyork.co.uk

“Although we didn’t start delivering the Healthwatch York contract officially until 2nd April, securing the contract was one of the highlights of our year. We held a series of meetings with the Sector to discuss how to deliver the best Healthwatch for York. We wrote our bid based on the things people and organisations told us were needed.

“Since the launch, we’ve tried to get out as much as we can – attending 16 summer fairs and carnivals right across the city – to make sure that people in

York know who we are, what we do and how they can access our service. We encouraged people to create a ‘Feelgood flag’ telling us what makes them smile. We got a great response – even the Lord Mayor had a go!

“So far, we’ve handled 65 enquiries. We’ve taken part in debates at forums and conferences, and in the media. If you want to raise an issue, or shape services in York, we’re here to make that happen. Email [email protected] or call 01904 621133.”

Congratulations to our Finance team (from left to right) Dawn, Julie, Joanne and Alison for winning their category in this year’s York Cycle Challenge. Our team of four cycled 149 miles over three weeks to claim the title – and the goodies!

The team were presented with cupcakes and massages at their desks. Best of all is that non-cyclist Julie caught the bug and has now gone out and bought her first bike.

Staff spotlight: Catherine SurteesCatherine Surtees is Partnerships Manager at York CVS, ensuring that the voluntary sector, community groups and social enterprises have influence over the design of strategy, policy and services in the city.

Healthwatch York launchesHealthwatch York launched in April, as the new way to influence local health and social care services – hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries, home care services and many others. Manager of Healthwatch York Siân Balsom talks about the first few months:

Health at the heart of York CVS

Finance team wins York Cycle Challenge prize

‘Yoga Fridays’Staff members Claire Gibb and Siân Balsom have made the most of flexible working at York CVS to take part in weekly lunchtime yoga sessions.

The pair join York Yoga Studio teacher Laurie Prime on Fridays for an hour of relaxing Hatha. “Balancing a job and two very young children doesn’t give me much time to myself”, explains Claire. “Our flexible working approach means that I can take a slightly longer lunch break once a week, and use that time to look after my own health and wellbeing.”

Investing in peopleThis year, York CVS was proud to gain the following accreditations:


Where our money goes

How we raise our income

Project costs283,133 (22%)

Total£1,288,513

Governance costs25,800 (2%)

Our core services

£966,781 (75%)

Cost of generating funds12,799 (1%)

Total £1,097,673

Grants and contracts

£527,691 (48%)

Priory Street Centre£295,569 (27%)

Donations, investments and interest£48,668 (4%)

Our chargeable services£80,236 (7%)

Project income£145,509 (13%)

“The team has had lots of in-house training since February, including training on the new Early Years Foundation Stage. This has led to an approach that is now truly child centered. The older children now serve themselves at meal times, and are able to experience some amazingly messy activities!

“We celebrated Fathers’ Week in June, with lots of dads coming in to join us. Three staff from CVS came in to help us build planters with the children, one to juggle with them, and one to talk about his baby son. Parents have really embraced the changes and look forward to being more involved in the setting.”

We also said a big hello to George the Giraffe. George is the new Priory Street Nursery mascot – you’ll be seeing a lot more of him in future!

This year, we’ve invested in a makeover for the Centre’s logo, signage and website. We’ve introduced some special offers, like free ice cream for summer delegates. And we’ve gone the extra mile to make sure that all our customers – from community groups to corporate businesses – keep coming back.

To find out more about Priory Street Centre, or to book a room, call 01904 621133 or email [email protected]

York CVS at Priory Street

Brand boost for Priory Street CentrePriory Street Centre is the beating heart of York CVS. It’s where we work, where we hold conferences, and where much of our revenue comes from to provide free support to groups.

New faces at the nurseryPriory Street Nursery saw some big changes this year, as we said farewell to manager Erica Birkitt after thirteen years’ service. Meet new manager Charlotte Hall, who brings with her a wealth of experience and new ideas…


York CVS hosted the third York Annual Volunteering Conference this year, and the biggest highlight was the first screening of the York Timebank Evaluation film.

The film was made by volunteer Camille Sainsbury, and featured many of the project’s members talking about what Timebank means to them.

You can find the film, and more about the Timebank, at yorkcvs.org.uk/yorktimebank

Volunteer Centre York On film – York Timebank EvaluationWe couldn’t do all the amazing things we do

without our volunteers. Volunteers’ Week gave us an opportunity to say ‘Thank you’, when the Volunteer Centre organised a picnic...

Ann (left)Ann has been volunteering with us since January. She comes in with her support worker one day a week to make sure everyone at York CVS gets a cuppa and a biscuit at their desks. We’re very lucky to have Ann – and we’d be a pretty thirsty lot without her!

Jenni (above left)Jenni is a social work student who came to us on a placement to conduct a piece of research into why fewer men volunteer in health and social care settings. You can find Jenni’s full report at yorkcvs.org.uk/menandvolunteering

York CVS is thrilled to be recognised as A Good Place to Volunteer by The Children’s Society. Volunteer Adviser Clare Shepherd, who received the award, said: “The award was really

useful to undertake in order for York CVS to offer volunteer roles accessible to all abilities – recognition of what we are doing well, and helpful hints about what we can still do a bit better!”

Last year, Volunteer Centre York received almost

3,000 enquiries about volunteering, and advertised

200 new volunteering opportunities.

Stamp of approval


sure those people are supported. That’s why we need to work harder to support our members.

We’ve got a new website on the way that will deliver more of our frontline services. This will free up time to deliver more specialist support, either one to one or in training sessions. We want to help more community groups and charities, and support more social enterprises, to make York a better place to live and work.

2014 is our 75th anniversary. We look forward to celebrating it with all of you, in a position that is strong enough to look towards the next 75 years.

2nd Chance Training2nd Haxby & Wigginton Scout Group

Abbeyfield York Society LtdActiv8 LearningAlne Hall Cheshire HomeAlternatives to Violence (North East)

Arc Light Ltd YorkASBAHAvalonBASPCANBritish Red CrossBrunswick Organic NurseryCANDI (Children And Inclusion)

Careers Service – York St John

Caring ExpressionsCharity of Jane WrightClementhorpe Community Association

Clement’s HallCommunity Furniture Store York Ltd

Community Links Northern Limited

Council for British Archaeology

Creating Space for YouCrossroads Care Harrogate Craven & York

Dringhouses Out of School Club

Family Housing Association (York)

Family Matters YorkFamily Mediation Service – York

Friendly Film Society for the Disabled

Friends of Rowntree ParkFriends of St Nicholas FieldFriends of York HospitalsFriends of York WallsFulford Pre-SchoolGet Cycling CICHaxby & Wigginton Youth & Community Assoc

Healing ClinicHigher York – York St John University

Home-start YorkHSG YorkHuntington Good Neighbours Association

IDASInspired Youth ArtsInternational ServiceJack Raine Community Foundation

Jessie’s FundJoseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

KeyhouseLives UnlimitedMagnetic ArtsMainstayMaking MusicMethodist Housing Association

Multiple Sclerosis Society (York & District)

North Yorkshire Aids ActionOlder Citizens Advocacy York (OCAY)

Pact Yorkshire (Children’s Society)

Parents of St Wilfrid’s After School Club

Peasholme CharityPoppleton Community Railway Nursery

Poppleton Community TrustPoppleton Road Memorial Hall

Pre School Learning AllianceRelate Mid-YorkshireResource Centre for Deafened People

Rethink (The York Fellowship)

RetreatRichmond FellowshipRock ChurchRSPB York OfficeSafe and Sound Homes (SASH)

SNAPPYSpurriergate CentreSt Bede’s Pastoral CentreSt Leonard’s HospiceSt Sampson’s CentreStudent Union (University of York)

SurviveTreasure ChestTuke CentreTwo Ridings Community Foundation

Welfare Benefits UnitWilberforce TrustWorkers Educational Association

YACROYork & District Citizens Advice Bureau

York Against CancerYork Blind & Partially Sighted Society

York Carers ForumYork CaresYork Coronary Support Group Trust

York Deanery (Synod)York Housing AssociationYork In Transition York Japanese Families Association

York LinkYork MindYork Natural Environment Trust

York Older People’s Assembly

York One World Linking Association (YOWLA)

York Open Planning ForumYork People FirstYork PlayspaceYork Racial Equality NetworkYork Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

York Steiner SchoolYork Wheels LimitedYork Women’s Counselling Service

Yorkshire & Humberside Circles (Y&HCOSA)

Yorkshire Housing Handyperson Service York

Yorkshire Wildlife TrustYorvik Gateway ClubYUMI (York Unifying & Multicultural Initiative)

Thank youWe couldn’t do what we do without our members. Thanks to the following organisations for supporting us this year:

York CVS manages the Independent Living Scheme (ILS), offering a range of support services to disabled people who receive Direct Payments, including younger disabled people and carers.

Direct Payments enable people to live more independently in the community, either by employing their own staff or contracting with homecare agencies of their choice, to meet their care needs. Last year, the Scheme received 80

new referrals, with 61 of those people taking up a Direct Payment and becoming ILS users. By the end of March 2013, ILS was supporting 283 disabled people in York.

Another successful year for ILS

It’s been a pretty big year for us at York CVS. We got a new Chief Executive. Our Head of Finance left after 18 years with us. We started to review our services and to rebrand the whole organisation.

York CVS in 2014...

So what will 2014 bring? York faces even more significant cuts in public spending; cuts that will affect the vulnerable, and those most in need. Our members are here to make

Become a memberIf you would like to find out more about membership of York CVS, and how it can benefit you and other groups in the city, please contact us on 01904 621133 or email [email protected]

In order to meet its objectives, York CVS works closely with a number of other organisations including City of York Council, NHS North Yorkshire and York, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group, York Cares and Your Consortium.

York CVS is grateful for the financial support it received from the following organisations:

Awards for AllCharles Brotherton TrustCommunity Development FoundationJoseph Rowntree FoundationThe Micklegate, York Charitable TrustNorman Collinson Charitable TrustParish Estate Charity (The Feoffees of St Michael’s Spurriergate York)Rotary Club of YorkRotary Club of York VikingsSantanderThe Stables ProjectThe Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable TrustThe WL Pratt Charitable TrustWensleydale & Swaledale Quaker TrustYork Common Good TrustYork Lions Club Charitable Trust FundYorkshire Building Society Charitable Donations

Thanks also to all the individuals, whose modesty does not permit us to name them, who have supported our work.

We are very grateful to every single person who gives their time as a volunteer with York CVS.

York CVS Annual Review 2013Design: Narrative DesignWords: Claire GibbPhotos: York CVS, Paul Cooper, Simon Watterson, screen image on page 3 courtesy of BBC Television

York CVS15 Priory StreetYork YO1 6ET

Tel. 01904 621133

Registered Charity No. 225087Company Limited by Guarantee No. 493550 (England)

york cvs annual review 2013

Documents

york cvs

peer support group

lifeline support

kind of support

new projects

early years page

boost page

yorkcvs annual review