Published on Wednesday 14 April 2021
BCP Council is asking for your views to help us develop our Community and Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Strategy. The new strategy will help us to make sure that our area is full of vibrant and connected communities which provide meaningful volunteering opportunities and targeted support to those in need.
Many people across the BCP area participate in some form of volunteering, whether it be formal volunteering for an organisation, or self-organising and neighbourliness, through a community group or a local online group chat.
We have seen a big increase in the number of people volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 3,000 people signed up through the Community Action Network (CAN) to volunteer for the BCP Council led Together We Can campaign. They helped those in need by answering calls, providing access to food and essential items and helping with other issues vulnerable people have been facing during the pandemic. The response has shown that our community and voluntary sector across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is thriving and capable of adapting quickly to help others.
As we enter a new phase with lockdown starting to ease and hopefully things continuing to return to more familiar times, we want to continue our commitment to supporting the community and voluntary sector with the recovery, to help empower our communities so that people feel safe, engaged and included.
As part of BCP Council’s Big Plan, we are committed to developing vibrant communities, with an outstanding quality of life, where everyone plays an active role. Supporting our community and voluntary sector in the most effective way we can helps us achieve this.
Kelly Ansell, Director of communities at BCP Council said:
"We are really excited to have the opportunity to hear more about the amazing community action that takes place across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and the individuals that make it possible.
"We understand that the community and voluntary sector is often best placed to understand the needs of the local communities they work within and provide the best targeted support. We want your views to help inform our strategy so we can provide the most effective and impactful support to the sector and the people doing this very important work.
"We are really keen to hear from people across the BCP area, whether they already volunteer, receive community support, help out their neighbour once in a while or have thought about volunteering but never found the right opportunity. All your views will help inform our strategy."
The community and voluntary sector survey will run from Wednesday 14 April until Wednesday 12 May 2021.