Supporting Bury’s vital community and voluntary groups

Bury Council is showing its commitment to the borough’s ‘third sector’ by securing funding for the Bury Voluntary and Community Faith Alliance (VCFA).

The council will provide £170,000 to help the VCFA support Bury groups in their work and build relationships between sectors and local communities.

There are an estimated 1,249 voluntary organisations in the borough, supported by 26,000 volunteers and 4,000 paid staff. Together they contribute £109 million to the local economy. Many of these organisations are small, working on budgets of less than £10,000 per year.

Bury VCFA, which has won national accreditation for its work, helps these groups with training, funding and advocacy.

Examples of its work include:

• helping create the Bury Older People’s Network;
• supporting the design of the new Home from Hospital Service led by Age UK Bury;
• hosting the Violence Reduction Unit community-led pilot in East Bury;
• providing an online Volunteer Bank where individuals can register for volunteer opportunities in their community.

Bury VCFA also hosts the Beacon Social Prescribing Service, helping people to take part in activities which improve their health and wellbeing.

Councillor Richard Gold, cabinet member for finance and communities, said: “The challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have shown the importance and need for strong community and voluntary groups.

“From food banks to health and wellbeing, from debt advice to support for people of all ages, our community groups provide a vital service.

“Bury VCFA is at the heart of this, providing infrastructure to support the sector. This includes winning and distributing £415,000 of funding.

“At a time when council and health funding is under pressure, and everybody is facing increasing demand for services, we are all working together to improve the quality of life for everyone in Bury.”

Bury VCFA has recently achieved the Local Infrastructure Quality Accreditation (LIQA) from the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA).

Helen Tomlinson, chief officer of Bury VCFA, added: “I’d like to thank the council for its continued backing of Bury VCFA and the VCSE sector which includes the community activities of faith organisations in Bury.

“I’d also like to thank our staff, volunteers and trustees for their commitment in championing the role of the voluntary sector and ensuring our services continue to meet the sector’s changing needs.

“This funding means we can continue to provide infrastructure and practical support for Bury’s voluntary sector organisations so that they have the capacity to continue improving the lives of residents and ensuring they have a voice and influence.

“I’m also delighted that our efforts have been recognised by NAVCA, following an independent assessment of our work in four key areas – leadership and advocacy, partnerships and collaboration, capacity building and volunteering.

“In achieving the LIQA, Bury VCFA has demonstrated we deliver each of these functions to a high-quality, that we are responsive to and embedded within the needs of the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, and are committed to working in partnership.”

Bury Council’s updated agreement with Bury VCFA is built around these four areas, and reflects the council’s Let’s Do It! strategy to empower communities and tackle inequalities.

Last Wednesday (15 March), council and VCFA officers highlighted the partnership work taking place in Bury at a meeting with Greater Manchester colleagues, demonstrating delivery against the commitments set out in the GM VCSE Accord which the council signed up to in November 2021.

The purpose of this GM Accord is to further develop how we work together to improve outcomes for Greater Manchester’s communities and citizens.