23/01/04 - County Council Package of Support agreed for Volunteer Centre South Lakeland : Cumbria County Council

Today, Cumbria County Council’s South Lakeland Local Committee agreed in principle to a three-year support package for the Volunteer Centre South Lakeland. The funding package amounts to £30,000 over the three-year term.

The Volunteer Centre has been successful in developing volunteer work by individuals and local community groups across South Lakeland. The Centre’s main aim is to support and recognise `the gift of time’ for the benefit for the people of South Lakeland. The centre enables people to volunteer by matching volunteers to opportunities, taking down the barriers to participation and acting as a focus for new volunteer and community involvement. County Councillor Ian Stewart, Chair of South Lakeland Local Committee says,

“The Volunteer Centre provides an important service in South Lakeland and is particularly proactive in encouraging young people between the ages of 14 to 19 to volunteer for community projects locally. The culture of volunteering and community support helps to achieve many of the Council’s own key themes including those themes surrounding the increase of education and skills, close working with the voluntary and community sector and supporting community enterprise and economic initiatives. I am pleased that South Lakeland Local Committee can do its bit to support the Volunteer Centre. I hope that others will consider similar support and look forward to seeing the continuation of the service provided to local communities by the Volunteer Centre.”

Samantha Vyner-Brooks, Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator says,

“I am delighted to receive this support from Cumbria County Council. The Kendal & District Volunteer Bureau (Centre)was established in 1972 but changed its name to the Volunteer Centre South Lakeland in 2000 to better reflect the area we serve. During 2002/3 we recruited 366 new volunteers, 234 of those volunteers were young people. Much of this was achieved by going into schools and the local community to explain the benefits of volunteering , the vast range of opportunities available, and encouraging people to give a `gift of time’.”

Anyone interested in knowing more about the Volunteer Centre or interested in being a volunteer themselves can contact Samantha Vyner-Brooks or Jane Robinson (Youth Volunteer Development Officer) on (01539) 742636 or via emai.