Council for Voluntary Service (Fylde Together)
Fylde Together logo
Fylde Together was created in September 2010 and is a partnership of voluntary, community, faith sector and social enterprise groups who are working together to develop the skills and tools required for the third sector to be ready for the times ahead. By sharing expertise, information and skills Fylde Together can be a strong voice and one port of call for all third sector groups and statutory organisations. It will provide a communication mechanism for all groups and will support the third sector in Fylde to reach their full potential.
Community and third sector groups need to be ready to face the changes and challenges ahead and this becomes more evident recently following the change of government and the emphasis they are placing on the third sector to be involved in the Big Society agenda.
Jane Williams - Fylde Together Manager
Fylde Together already provides a valuable resource in the community with local expertise and the ability to adapt to changing needs. With local Government cuts anticipated it is likely that some of the public services may be expected to be delivered by the third sector and we need to prepare ourselves now to be ready for this.
The Fylde Together Steering Group consists of 20 members who make decisions on behalf of the group and have agreed a number of actions to take forward. These are now being progressed by smaller task and finish groups who have been set up specifically to work on these. These actions include:
- A website has been developed for members to share information and can be accessed on http://www.fyldetogether.org.
A regular monthly newsletter is also issued to all Fylde Together members and their networks
- A leaflet has been developed to confirm the benefits of joint funding bids using partner organisations
- Membership of Fylde Together has now been increased to 104 groups
- CVS now have a shop in St Annes that provides a focal point for Fylde Together and also provides UK Online training courses and advertises local volunteering opportunities.
- A showcase event is taking place at Lytham Hall on 18th May 2011 to promote the work of local groups in Fylde and to provide a networking opportunity
- A survey will be carried out at the event to identify the needs in Fylde so that Fylde Together can consider how these can be addressed
- An event called – What the Spending Cuts mean in Fylde – has been arranged at Fairhaven Methodist Church on 12 May 2011
Further information about Fylde Together can be found on a monthly basis at http://www.fyldetogether.org/monthly-updates.
Fylde Together is managed by Jane Williams and falls under the organisation of Council for Voluntary Services, Jane Williams Tel: 01253 887494 Mobile: 07932335268 Email: jane.williams@wyre-fyldetssp.org.uk. If you wish to join Fylde Together please visit http://www.fyldetogether.org.
