Voluntary and Community Action runs high quality, low cost courses and consultation/networking events every year for the voluntary sector in Bedfordshire. Our objective is to build the capacity of voluntary organisations and community groups to enable and empower them to meet the needs of, and provide services to, their communities.

 What participants have said ...

Funding

“I have found all the training workshops that Voluntary and Community Action run very useful, especially ‘Making a successful funding application’ as I do many funding applications.”

Effective Presentations

"I just wanted to let you know how fab I feel after attending the Effective Presentations workshop. You showed me how to give a presentation with confidence that was informative, not boring and didn't over run. I feel completely ready to present anything to anyone now! I now know how to prepare for a presentation, how to write a presentation, what the best tools are for me to use and how to hide the nerves. Thank you so much for taking away the terror I used to feel when anyone mentioned presentations or public speaking to me. I have suggested to several clients that they attend the same course to get over their nerves."

First Aid

"Your First Aid training came in very useful during a recent group trip when one of our clients had an epileptic seizure on the coach. Thanks to your training, I was able to confidently deal with the situation. Afterwards, three members of the party complimented me, which I felt put our Project in a good/ professional light."

SOUL Record Training

Comments from the Soft Outcomes Universal Learning training held on 29 June 2007:

• Very informative session full of useful material and information that I can take back and implement withing my project
• This will be a great benefit when seeking funding and will be a good asset in reducing time and workload
• I will feel more confident in how to use SOUL with practice but feel it will be a very effective tool for measuring distance travelled by the young people I work with  - Thank you
• Thoroughly enjoyed the day, workshop was delivered clearly in a relaxed manner, I felt happy to ask questions
• Excellent training delivered in an interesting and informative way. Hope that we can use a majority of the SOUL record
• A lot to take in, but a very good informative workshop. Excellent materials and trainer, looking forward to using SOUL and getting more funds!

Team Building

"Thank you to all concerned, very helpful and enjoyable."

Child Protection

"This is just to say that I found the course today absolutely excellent and really valuable and relevant. I think it should be made available to as many people as possible who deal with children, so that awareness becomes a matter of course and the safety net is widened. I certainly will have my senses sharpened as a result of today, and I will go back to the people I work with at Mencap’s Opportunity Playgroup and the Holiday Club and tell them as much as I remember and encourage them to do a Child Protection Course themselves. So thank you very much for an informative and important day. With best wishes."

"The extensive knowledge Valerie has made it easy for her to answer questions.

"A very clear approachable speaker, inspiring and informative."