Community & Voluntary Service is Your CVS

Welcome to Your Gateway to the Voluntary & Community Sector in Bedford Borough &  North Central Bedfordshire

Community & Voluntary Service (CVS) is an umbrella organisation that supports and represents the interests of voluntary organisations, community groups and charities in Bedford Borough (North Bedfordshire) and North Central Bedfordshire (formerly known as Mid Bedfordshire).

The Aim of CVS is therefore to support, promote, develop and enable the local voluntary sector to provide effective services to meet the needs of local people.

Please explore the pages of our website to find out how we can assist your group in achieving your aims

New

Office and Meeting Space for Voluntary and Community Organisation

• 43 Bromham Road - a centrally-located facility in Bedford, offering your charity, voluntary/community group or social enterprise Fully-Serviced Office Space and Meeting and Training Rooms

Latest Newsletter

• Beds-Spread - December 2011

Social Enterprise

• Social Enterprise - following our 'Social Enterprise - Is it for me?' Event we have launched a new Social Enterprise Resources Page

Big Local

• BIG Local Residents Meeting - Faraday Community Centre, Kelvin Avenue - Thursday 2nd February - Do YOU live or work in Kingsbrook or Cauldwell? Would you like to have YOUR say about how to spend the Big Local funding? Would you simply like to find out more about Big Local? Then please come along! Learn more about Big Local

Funding

• Financial Assistance from Bedford Borough Council for 2012/2013 (Voluntary, community groups and charitable organisations)
• Bedford Borough Council is currently coordinating support for the third sector and invites applications for financial assistance from voluntary and charitable organisations for 2012/13.
• To request an application form, telephone the Community Welfare Team on (01234) 276228 or write to the Community Welfare Team, Bedford Borough Council, First Floor, Borough Hall, Bedford, MK42 9AP. Application forms are also available to complete online at www.bedford.gov.uk.
• IMPORTANT: Please note that application forms must be received by noon on 4th February 2012 to be considered.
• Applicants should note that funding for financial assistance is subject to the Council’s budget setting process.

Tender Alerts

• New Tender Alert Page - the Voluntary Works consortium have launched a new page that lists current local tenders that may be of interest to the voluntary sector

Personalisation

• Personalisation Agenda - personalisation means that services are designed and delivered from the starting point of individuals’ needs and wishes, instead of individuals having to fit into existing services. Personalisation represents a cultural shift of seismic proportions for many third sector organisations in Bedfordshire. Our new page aims to keep you up to date with developments and training opportunities.

Sustainable Funding Guide

• Don't put all your eggs in one basket! Bedfordshire's Sustainable Funding Guide - helping your organisation diversify your funding streams

ConsortiCo Ltd

• ConsortiCo Ltd - find out about this new initiative that provides a 'vehicle' to allow local third sector organisations to form consortia to compete effectively in securing public service contracts - visit their new website at www.consortico.com

Forthcoming Events

• BIG Local Residents Meeting - Faraday Community Centre, Kelvin Avenue - Thursday 2nd February 2012
• YMCA Bedfordshire - Will You Sleep Rough so others don't have to? - Over night of Saturday 3rd to Sunday 4th March 2012
• Bedford Credit Union Quiz Night - Wednesday 28th March 2012
• Volunteer Recruitment Sessions - dates throughout 2011

Find Out More....

Vacancies

• More details to follows

Find Out More....

Training

CVS offers a comprehensive calendar of training for voluntary and community groups in Bedford Borough & North Central Bedfordshire, especially for groups seeking training on Fundraising, Quality/Best Practice and Procurement/Trading. To find out more about our programme of training opportunities for 2011 visit our Training Page.

Upcoming Training Opportunities

• Fit for Safeguarding - Thursday 9th February 2012
• Volunteer Management - Wednesday 15th February 2012
• Getting the Most Out of Your PC - - Thursday 23rd February 2012
• Emergency First Aid at Work - Wednesday 29th February 2012
• Fit for Safeguarding - Saturday 3rd March 2012
• Creating Your Own Website - Tuesday 6th March 2012
• Behaving More Assertively - Thursday 8th March 2012

Fit for Funding Workshops

• Wednesday 1st February - 7pm to 9pm
• Friday 2nd March - 10am to 12noon
• Saturday 31st March - 10am to 12noon
• Tuesday 1st May - 7pm to 9pm
• Wednesday 13th June - 10am to 12noon

Demonstrating Need and Understanding Outcomes

• More dates to follow

Find Out More.... 

Third Sector Assemblies

The new Third Sector Assemblies for Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire launched on 23rd March 2010 and 3rd February 2010 respectively. Subsequent Assemblies have taken place and have focused on the effects of cuts on the local voluntary sector. Presentations from those events are now online.

Find Out More.... 

ICT

On our ICT webage we aim to keep you up-to-date with what’s going on in our county, regional and nationally. You can find details of the new Regional ICT Helpdesk, the Regional ICT Champion for the Eastern Region, Knowledgebase, How the use of Social Media could benefit your organisation and details of other useful ICT resources.

Find Out More.... 

Community Noticeboard

Mid & North Beds Community Notice Board

Any groups working to develop and promote local voluntary and community activity in Mid or North Bedfordshire can post notices on the Community Notice Board Page. This may include your organisations Job Vacancies, Items for Sale, details of your upcoming events. Please email details to info@yourcvs.org

How the Voluntary Sector can play their part in Tackling Climate Change

Find out how your organisation can play a part in reducing global warming, as part of the new 'Every Action Counts' campaign for the voluntary sector. You can also discover some of the local and national schemes that will be of relevance to you in reducing your organisations 'carbon footprint'. More Details....

It could not be easier to find out about Volunteering Opportunities in Mid and North Beds. Just enter the name of your town, village or postcode in the Do-It Search Box and press the find-it button and you will be shown details of the volunteering opportunities in your area. Also, visit The Volunteer Centre Bedford website.