New adventures

At CVL our mission is to empower local people to collaboratively shape their community through community-led projects and innovative thinking. That’s because we believe everyone can make a valuable contribution to their community no matter their age, sex, religion, race, or ability. And we do this by listening, encouraging, and motivating our community and providing them with the tools they need to help shape their futures and increase the numbers living happy, healthy, fair, and prosperous lives.

We’ve been on quite a journey the last few years and we’re so proud of how far we’ve come and the difference we have helped people make because of it. We’ve tried lots of different ways of working, with different people and we’ve all learnt a lot along the way. We continue to learn more, but our mission is the one thing that keeps us focused on the people who really matter and are the reason we do it all…our community.

This month we’re talking about more than just the new activities we’ve got on offer, of which there are loads, but we’re also talking about the new people who work and volunteer with us to help make it all happen. The work we’re doing behind the scenes to make sure we continue to learn and grow and stay relevant to our mission.

For a few months now, we’ve been working with Emma Frew, who helps us to access funding. This is a vital part of the process and not only means we continue to have the money to offer activities and to invest in opportunities for our community, but it also means we can do it for free or at a very low cost, which is essential right now. It also means we can stay up to date on future opportunities so we can continue to grow.

We’ve also been joined by ex PCSO Lindsay, who is now a volunteer for Boys in Blue (BIB) and Sheroes. Lindsay originally develope the concept and approached us about it. The sessions went from strength to strength so Lindsay suggestd Sheroes for the girls. Although her time as a PCSO has come to an end, she has built such positive relationships that she has decided to continue working with us. Lindsay said she is ‘thrilled to be working with the Boys in Blue and Sheroes and matching the commitment they put in every week. Their growth is phenomenal!’

Our partnerships with the police and other support organisations grows yet again as we’re joined every month by Kelly from the Police Cyber Crime unit and Sarah, who is a community and engagement co-ordinator for Safer Communities. Both join us to offer support and guidance with online scams in our Get Scam Savvy sessions, which run once a month.

We’re also working closely with residents and local organisations to find ways to make Thorntree Park a better space for everyone who uses it. As part of this and in a bid to get the team out and about, we’re working with Thirteen Group on a tree planting mission in various green spaces around Thorntree and Netherfields to support the growth and energy of the space, and our Pavilion Nursery staff to see what ideas the children have and how they can contribute.

Keep a look out for us or our teams in the Thorntree or North Ormesby areas as you might get a sneak peak of some of our next big plans!