West Lancashire Council for Voluntary Services is a charity, set up in 1973, andĀ is the key infrastructure organisationĀ for voluntary and community groups in West Lancashire.
Our main activities are:
- Providing information and support to voluntary organisations
- Helping local people to set up and develop voluntary and community groups, and network with otherĀ organisations
- Representing voluntary and community groups to statutory and otherĀ organisations, and partnerships
Our registered charity number is 1039563.Ā We are also a company limited by guarantee – registration no: 2940823.
With thanks to our funders:
Membership of the CVS is free!
Benefits of membership include receiving regular information bulletins such as the monthly members-only CVS Bulletin, as well as access to funding advice, and volunteer recruitment.
Have a look at the full list of 10 Benefits of CVS Membership here.
The CVS has two types of membership:
- Full membership open to all voluntary and community groups who are based in West Lancashire.
- Associate membership open to all voluntary and community groups who may cover West Lancashire, but have their base elsewhere.
To apply for membership, fill in this Membership Application form.
If you have any questions around membership, please contact Debbie.
Getting started
Starting small
- If youāre forming a group but not ready for a legal structure, itās useful to have a constitution (a simple set of rules that your group follows): A step-by-step guide to writing a constitution for a small community group.
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Choosing a legal structure
- If youāre ready for a legal structure but not sure which one to go for, try the Legal forms decision tool (flow chart)
- NCVO has produced aĀ guide on what to consider when choosing your legal structure and the main characteristics of each legal structure.
Charity:
- The simple guide to setting up a charity – CharitySetup checklist by NCVO
- Charity Commission guidance on choosing a legal structureĀ here.
- Governmentās step by step guide to setting up a charity: gov.uk/setting-up-charity
Community Interest Company (CIC)
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Co-operatives
- A step-by-step guide to starting a coāop and online registration tool: uk.coop/start-new-co-op
Governance: Charity Boards
Charity boards
- Finding and appointing new trustees
- Trustee board: people and skills
- Users on board: beneficiaries who become trustees
- Charity trustees: resignation and removal
- Why some individuals can’t act as charity trustees
- Making good decisions as a board
- Running good meetings
- Managing conflicts of interest
- Helping your board understand their responsibilities
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