What is a CLUSTER? How would my group benefit?

Helping groups to network more effectively with each other in their local area and highlighting how to find out about the support services they can access from GROW and our partner organisations

Wiltshire Council has said it will:

‘Continue to develop and support the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) so that it can play an expanded and more innovative role in addressing local needs and delivering services.  This will involve a range of initiatives, including the expansion of volunteering activity and promoting the principles of good practice in partnership working.’ – People Places and Promises-

The Wiltshire Community Plan 2011-2026

GROW IS DEVELOPING A RANGE OF CLUSTERS ACROSS WILTSHIRE TO HELP WITH THIS

Help you to work out what support needs you group / organisation has

Maybe you need more volunteers? Perhaps you need advice about working with people who have disabilities? Or maybe you would like to find some funding but don’t know where to look for this? You may be interested in social enterprise, or registering as a charity?

Help you to identify your group’s training needs

You may want to know how to recruit new trustees or to better support the trustees you already have? You may want manual handling training? You may want food hygiene and safety training? You may want to know more about marketing and promoting your group really well?

Work out ways to meet both your groups’ support needs and training needs.

GROW can provide a lot of services directly for you.  We run the Volunteering Centre for Wiltshire. We can design training to meet your needs; we can offer help and information on a wide range of issues. But GROW also works in partnership with other services and organisations – through this we can help you to access funding advice; Equalities support; charity law and governance advice etc.

Link your group more effectively to the rest of the Voluntary and Community Sector so that your group’s services will be better known and your views will be listened to where it matters.

Would you like other groups to know more about what you do?  Would you like to see if you can work together with another group / more than one group? Grow will can run really useful networking sessions to help you.

Voluntary sector representatives will be able to take your views into account when they represent you and other voluntary and community groups on key partnership boards / meetings.

Help you to find out the things you need to know.

We will help you to keep up to date with information that could help your group run successfully, but without getting swamped by it!  We will help you to be aware of issues that might interest or affect your group.

If you want to find out more about the Clusters call the Community Development Team on 0845 034 5250 (local rates during office hours).