Resources

Nationwide Building Society/Heritage Lottery Fund:

Nationwide Building Society has teamed up with Heritage Lottery Fund to launch the Community and Heritage Awards 2008; we are now inviting the public to nominate people or groups who deserve recognition for community or voluntary work that has made a real difference to people's loves.Nominations for the very best and most inspirational volunteers in the UK can be made from today, in either the Community Champion or Heritage category.

Community Champion: recognition for those who have made an impact in their local community.

Heritage Hero: recognition for those who have volunteered to become involved in saving part of their heritage and sharing it with others.

Nominations do not have to be involved with a Heritage Lottery Fund project.Leaflets and nomination forms are available from local Nationwide Building Society Branches, HLF offices and online at http://www.nationwide.co.uk/about_nationwide/community_and_environmental_affairs/nationwide_community_and_heritage_awards/

and www.hlf.org.uk  

The closing date for nominations is 28 April 2008

Training/learning opportunities - national and local:

BCTV: http://shop.btcv.org.uk/shop/level1/19/level - provides short and long courses in environmental education, organising and leading conservation projects, publicity and fundraising, etc
Disability Equality Training: http://www.cam.ac.uk/cambuniv/disability/university/trainingdb/list_geog_area_east_anglia.html - provides a database of Disability Equality Trainers in East Anglia, hosted by the University of Cambridge
Investing in Volunteers: http://iiv.investinginvolunteers.org.uk/introduction/inyourcountry/england/Training.htm - offers courses for leaders and managers working in the voluntary and community sector
Learning etc: http://www.learning-etc.co.uk - a small education and training company, based on Huntingdon, offering courses and consultancy across all aspects of the education and training sector, soon to offer a directory of the voluntary and community training organisations based in Cambridgeshire
NAVCA: http://www.navca.org.uk/services/learningopps - provides a list and links to organisations which support and deliver training for local voluntary and community groups
National Trust: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-learning_discovery/w-adult_learning.htm - projects, courses, careerships and vocational training opportunites are signposted on the site
Voluntary Sector Natonal Training Organisation (VSNTO): http://www.voluntarysectorskills.org.uk - information and news on workforce skills development within the voluntary and community sector
Voluntary Sector Training (Essex): http://www.voluntarysectortraining.org.uk - independent charity working to support the development of a strong, effective and diverse voluntary and community sector in Essex through providing affordable, relevant and accessible training for voluntary sector workers and volunteers

County-based Organisations:

BTCV Norfolk: http://btcv.org.uk/cgi-bin/office_opps.cgi?region=ea#304 - local arm of a national charity which has a successful history of environmental conservation volunteering throughout the UK and around the world
Suffolk Association of Voluntary Organisations (SAVO): http://www.savo.co.uk - supports, informs, represents and develops voluntary action in Suffolk
Voluntary Sector Training (Essex): http://www.voluntarysectortraining.org.uk - an independent charity working to support the development of a strong, effective and diverse voluntary and community sector in Essex through providing affordable, relevant and accessible training for voluntary sector workers and volunteers
West Norfolk Volunteering & Community Action: http://westnorfolkvca.org - voluntary organisation which is set up and owned by local groups to support, promote and develop local voluntary and community action and actin gas a voice for the sector

Regional Organisations:

ChangeUp, East: http://www.changeup.org.uk/regions/east.asp - a programme of capacity building for the infrastructure of the voluntary and community sector, developed in partnership with the sector.  It is managed by a Regional Advisory Group made up of representatives from GO-East, regional VCS organisations and funders
COVER: http://www.cover-east.org - 'network of networks' that represents and co-ordinates a wide range of voluntary and community groups across the region, includes information about training and funding and links to other sites
Learning and Skills Council, East of England: (LSC) http://www.lsc.gov.uk/Regions/EastofEngland - aims to develop a responsive system of learning and skills provision that will meet the needs of learners, businesses and communities throughout the East of England, supporting the long term prosperity of the region
MENTER: http://www.menter.org.uk - regional network for Black and Minority voluntary organisations and communities
National Institute of Continuing Education (NIACE), East of England: http://www.niace.org.uk/Regions/Eastern/RegionalProfile.htm - aims to promote the study and general advancement of adult continuing education, both nationally and regionally
Voluntary Youth Sector in the Eastern Region (VYSER): http://www.vyser.org.uk - infrastructure group that exists to support the development, and ensure the recognition of a vibrant, robust and diverse voluntary youth sector

National Organisations

Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO): https://www.acevo.org.uk/index.cfm/display_page/home - the professional body for the third sector's chief executives which connects, develops and represents the sector's leaders with a view to increasing the sector's impact and efficiency
British Association for Friends of Museums: http://www.bafm.org.uk/ - a membership organisation providing newsletter, informatino sheets, advice, regional and national events, 'Handbook for Friends' and 'Handbook for Heritage Volunteer Managers and Administrators'.
Charity Commision: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk - operational information and publications
England Volunteering Development Council (EVDC): http://www.volunteering.org.uk/Projects+and+initiatives/englandvolunteeringdevelopmentcouncil - provides a voice for the volunteering sector as a whole.  It is responsible for monitoring the development of 'Building on success: strategy for volunteering infrastructure in England, 2004-2014' and acts as the Volunteering Hub Advisory Group
Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR): http://www.ivr.org.uk/aboutus.htm - undertakes and commissions research on different aspects of volunteering at a varitey of levels and disseminates findings so as to maximise the policy and practice impact
Millennium Volunteers (known as 'V'): http://www.wearev.com - an independent charity championing youth volunteering in England whose aim is to inspire a million more 16-25 year olds to volunteer
National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA): http://www.navca.org.uk/about - the national voice of local voluntary and community infrastructure which provides members information, advice, networking and learning opportunities, and support and development services
National Centre for Volunteering: http://www.volunteering.org.uk - a membership organisation providing information, publications, training, magazine, research for volunteers and those working with volunteers
National Council for Voluntary Organisations: http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk - a membership organisation providing information, advice, publications, networks, events, training and a magazine
National Trust: http://www.natonaltrust.org.uk/main: - works to preserve and protect the coastline, countryside and buildings of England, Wales and Northern Ireland through conservation, learning and discovery and through encouraging people to visit and enjoy their natural heritage
National Voluntary Community Sector Workforce Development Hub: http://www.changeup.org.uk/hubs/workforce.asp - deals with learning and skills, employment practice, promoting the sector as a positive place to work and volunteer, plus leadership and management development
Office of the Third Sector, (Cabinet Office): http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector - set up to drive forward the Government's role in supporting the work of voluntary and community oragnisations, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives and mutuals and works as an advocate as well as delivering its own policy programmes
Volunteering England: http://www.volunteering.org.uk - works to support an increase in the quality, quantity, impact and accessiblity of volunteering throughout England and is a way of accessing the 58 Volunteer Centres based in the six counties

Resources - Publications/Reports

Publications/Reports:

Archives Task Force, Archives Active Citizenship and Social Capital, (2003) - discussion paper 7, downloadable from: http://www.mla.gov.uk Click on 'Action', Archives Task Force' then 'Task Force Meetings'.  Noeleen Cookman, David Haynes and David Streatfield
The Use of Volunteers in Public Libraries (2000) - a report to the Library Association, available from: http://www.la-hq.org.uk/directory/prof_issues/vols.html
Institute of Volunteering Research, Volunteers in the Cultural Sector, (2002) - a demographic profile of volunteers in museums, archives and libraries in England commissioned by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) to inform future work.  The final report can be found on: http://mla.gov.uk Click on 'Action', 'Workforce' and then 'Volunteers'.
VCS Capacity Building and Infrastructure Executive Summary: ChangeUp Report, 2004: http://www.gos.gov.uk/goee/docs/192869/193646/VCS_Capacity_Building_and_i1.pdf
Building on success: strategy for volunteering infrastructure in England, 2004-2014
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/VolunteeringEngland/CoreRecorded/Resource.aspx?resource=D53EC04C-36F7-48B4-A9DE-5C722AC095A0
Working Together Advisory Group minutes of meeting, 10.1.07 (LSC)
http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/cho-workingtogetherstrategycommittee-minutes-10_jan2007.pdf
Guidance to Funders: Improving funding relationships for voluntary and community organisations, HM Treasury May 2006:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/4C6/99/guidancefundersummary190506.pdf
Cross Cutting Review of the Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Service Delivery, HM Treasury 2002:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/890/03/CCRVolSec02.pdf