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CVS Annual Volunteer Awards Evening 2018

To celebrate Volunteers Week 2018, West Lancs CVS held its annual Volunteer Awards Evening on 31st May.

A selection of volunteers from across the Borough were awarded 100 hour certificates, 200 hour certificates, and Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering Awards.

The evening was hosted by the Mayor of West Lancashire, Councillor Noel Delaney. The presentations were held in the Mayor’s Chamber, with refreshments served in the Mayor’s Parlour afterwards.

The awards were then followed up by representatives from each organisation saying a few words about the powerful impact of volunteers on the Voluntary Community and Faith Sector. It is true to say that a number of organisations just would not be able to run without the dedication and hard-work of their volunteers.

Greg Mitten, Chief Officer of West Lancs CVS along with Janice Howard from West Lancs CVS Volunteer Centre would like to say a big thank you to West Lancs Borough Council for hosting the ceremony and providing the delicious food, thank you to the Mayor of West Lancs Borough Council Noel Delaney and his Mayoress Mrs Ann Stubbert for presenting the awards to the volunteers and making the evening really special.

Thank you to the organisations who attended the evening, along with their volunteers and for saying wonderful things about the impact of volunteering in our Borough:

Thank you to Cath Thompson from the West Lancs Clinical Commissioning Group for attending on the night.

Last but not least, thank you to all of the Volunteers, not only the volunteers who attended on the night, but all of the volunteers across West Lancashire, who work tirelessly, giving up their free time to try and change the lives of others. Well done to all of you and a huge well done to the volunteers who were presented with awards.

26 volunteers were presented with awards!

To find out more about how to join the West Lancashire Volunteer Centre Certificate Scheme, please contact us on 01695 733737 or email vc@wlcvs.org

Tawd Valley Park consultation

A new project is being launched to look at how the Tawd Valley, often described as the ‘jewel in the crown of Skelmersdale’ could be developed to improve its appeal and accessibility to local people. A wide ranging consultation will take place between now and October culminating in a Master Plan to guide future development and look at how the park can be sustainable.

The Tawd Valley, a lush wooded valley running for 2km through the heart of Skelmersdale is an underutilised local resource with huge potential to provide opportunities for both wildlife enthusiasts and those simply looking for recreational activities to enjoy.

As well as being a beautiful and restful country escape in the heart of the town, the valley is a haven for wildlife. Tests over recent years have indicated that the water quality of the river is generally very good, providing a healthy home and habitat for a variety of fauna. Last year, 1,500 fish, mainly Roach, Chub and Dace, were released into the Tawd in the Park. Kingfishers have also been spotted there in recent times. The hope is that the future development of the valley will further improve the natural environment including the creation of sustainable wetlands in specific areas beside the river to further improve the quality of the water running through the Tawd into the River Douglas.

As well as looking after the ecological interests of the valley, the Park needs to provide recreational opportunities for local people such as walking, jogging, and cycling, as well as fishing and bird watching. The overall aim of the project is look at how to provide opportunities for people to enjoy the valley to the full, whilst at the same time generating the financial resources needed for the area to be looked after and maintained.

The first phase of the project will involve a community consultation with local residents and people who already use or have an interest in the park including local primary schools, secondary schools and colleges, to see what direction future improvements should take. The results of these consultations will help to inform the content of a questionnaire that will be issued later in the summer to seek the wider views of other members of the public as to how the Tawd Valley might be developed.

Members of the public are invited to attend a consultation event being held by Groundwork Cheshire Lancashire and Merseyside, with support from West Lancashire Council for Voluntary Service on Wednesday 21st June, from 6.30pm in the main hall at the Ecumenical Centre, Northway, opposite the Concourse. As well as gathering people’s views as to how the Tawd Valley should be developed, one of the main aims of the consultation event is to identify people with an active interest in the Park who might wish to go on to form a ‘Friends of the Tawd Valley Park’ group to look after the park in years to come.

The project is being led by West Lancashire Borough Council supported by a Project Steering group with representatives from the Environment Agency, County Council, the River Douglas Catchment Partnership, Groundwork CLM, West Lancs CVS and SHARES.
For more information on the consultation event on the 21 June, contact the CVS on 01695 733737.

CVS AGM & Health Network

The CVS welcomed 81 representatives from community, voluntary and statutory organisations as well as the public and private sectors, to the CVS AGM and Health Network Event at Haskayne Village Hall recently.

The event featured presentations from a variety of speakers including Greg Mitten, CVS Chief Officer, who outlined the ongoing struggles faced by the VCFS in the current climate.  He detailed the role of the CVS as an umbrella body and highlighted the five core areas of CVS work: Volunteering, Funding Advice, Information, Training, and Partnership.

Details of the presentations can be found in the following links:

A full report of the day can be found here.

Carer’s Rights Day 2016

This year Carers Rights Day is 25th November 2016 and the Carers’ Support Project has arranged the following Drop-Ins:

  • 10 – 11am:  Tarleton Library, Mark Square, Tarleton PR4 6TU
  • 11.30 – 12.30pm:  North Meols Medical Centre, Church Road, Banks PR9 8ET
  • 11 – 12 noon:  Skelmersdale Library, Southway, Skelmersdale WN8 6NL
  • 2 – 3 pm:  Brookes Bistro, Aughton Street, Ormskirk L39 3BP
  • 4 – 5 pm:  Twinkle House, 2 Gorsey Place, Skelmersdale WN8 9UP

Everybody welcome – please drop in and find out what support is on offer for carers in West Lancs!

 

The Carers’ health and education awareness project provides a wide range of vital information about:

  • Local groups and services for supporting your caring role
  • Carers Assessments and emergency care cover
  • Informing your GP so they are aware of your caring role
  • Health and wellbeing to support self-care
  • Financial support and short break help

Download our general leaflet and all carers leaflet.

For more information, contact Yvonne or Sarah at Carers’ Support on 01695-733737 or email carers@wlcvs.org

 

Show What You Grow 2016

The recent celebration of school gardening in West Lancs was a great success, with over 65 green fingered children from 10 schools took part.

The event was organised by the CVS Community Food Growing Project in conjunction with West Lancs Allotment Federation and West Lancashire College, and was funded by Upholland Tawd Vale Lions.

Read the report here.  Click on the pictures below to view the gallery.

 

One West Lancs Forum – July 2016

Over 150 people from 68 public, private and voluntary sector organisations attended the third One West Lancs showcase event on July 6th 2016 at Edge Hill University.

Local voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) organisations were given the opportunity to showcase their work, and there were information stands and plenty of opportunities for networking.

The programme for the day included presentations from a range of speakers and the full report can be found here.

Useful links from the day: