The Volunteer Centre Bedford is the operational name of the Bedford Volunteer Bureau which was opened in November 1984 as a project of North Beds Council for Voluntary Services.

On 4th July 2001 it was launched as an independent charity and now has its own office space in the same building.

The geographic area we cover is North & Mid Bedfordshire.

The Volunteer Centre Bedford has six core functions:

• To promote volunteering
• To signpost volunteers to volunteer-involving organisations
• To enable participation in volunteering
• To provide information, training and research into volunteering
• To comment and campaign on volunteering
• To develop volunteering

The Centre holds a Quality Mark to show it meets these core functions. The Quality Mark was awarded by the national umbrella body “Volunteering England”. The work of the Volunteer Centre is independently quality assessed by Volunteering England every 3 years. Our most recent assessment took place in June 2007 and we received maximum marks in each of our 6 core functions.

It confirms that we fully meet the requirements of a Volunteer Development Agency.