Worcestershire Voluntary and Community Networks
Working with WeCAN and Simply Limitless
Each district has its own organisation dedicated to supporting volunteers, grassroots community action, local groups and small charities. These organisations have formed a network called WeCAN – Worcestershire Community Action Network. Often described as the VCSE’s ‘ears on the ground’ – they have unrivalled reach into communities and are uniquely placed to understand health and wellbeing issues faced in their communities.
With no current local infrastructure organisation in Wyre Forest, we are working with Simply Limitless, a wellbeing centre in this district.
What are WeCAN and Simply Limitless doing to help the Alliance achieve its mission?
- Championing the aims of the Worcestershire VCSE Alliance
- Organising regular information sharing networks
- Disseminating key information to local networks
- Collating local intelligence – service information and impact of smaller VCSE organisations
- Playing a key role in District Collaboratives
Worcestershire Voluntary and Community Network Meetings
| District/Area | Name of Network | Organisation Lead | 2024 Dates | Frequency of Meeting | Name and email of person to contact for groups/orgs wishing to join |
| Worcester City | VOW Volunteering Worcester | Worcester Community Action | 3/2/24 at 2.00pm | Quarterly | Sally Ellison – worcestercommunityaction@gmail.com |
| Redditch | Bromsgrove and Redditch Network Meetings | B.A.R.N | 22/2/24 at 10.00am, 3 Easemore Rd, Redditch B98 8EY | Bi-monthly | Gary Roskell – office@barn.org.uk |
| Bromsgrove | Bromsgrove and Redditch Community Network Meetings | B.A.R.N | 27/2 24 at 10.00am, Bromsgrove Methodist Church Centre, 19 Stratford Rd, Bromsgrove, B60 1AS | Bi-monthly | Gary Roskell – office@barn.org.uk |
| Wyre Forest | Wyre Forest Multi Agency Group | Simply Limitless | 27/2/24 4/6/24 3/9/24 3/12/24 | Quarterly | Paul Raper – paul@simply-limitless.org |
| Droitwich | Droitwich CVS Networking Group | Droitwich Spa CVS | 5/3/24 10am-12pm 5/6/24 10am-12pm 3/9/24 10am-12pm 4/12/24 10am-12pm | Quarterly | Tonia Enderbury – tonia@droitwichcvs.org.uk |
| Pershore | Pershore Community Forum | Pershore Plus Volunteer Centre | TBC – please contact Karon Swinburn | Quarterly | Karon Swinburn -karon@pershorevolunteers.org.uk |
| Evesham | Evesham Volunteering Network | Evesham Volunteer Centre/Evesham Rotary Club | 29/02/2024 | Quarterly | Helen Gray or John Darby co@eveshamvolunteers.org.uk |
| Malvern | Connected Communities | Community Action Malvern and District/MHDC | TBC | Quarterly | Claire Vaughan – Claire.Vaughan@malvernhills.gov.uk Kate Walton – katew@communityaction.org.uk |
Learn more about your District
District Collaboratives
District Collaboratives are people and organisations across sectors collaborating including, but not limited to:
Primary Care Networks (groups of GP Practices), District Councils, VCSE, Education, NHS Trusts, Adult Social Care, Housing, Children’s Services, Police, Fire, to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
In each area the District Collaboratives are tailored to the needs of that community and are in varying stages of development.
The common principles of these collaboratives are –
- Ensuring people have a greater sense of control over what they need, making decisions about their support as an equal partner
- Early intervention and preventing the escalation of need by ensuring that the right help is available at the right time, as close to home as possible – helping people stay well for longer
- Organisations across sectors collaborating, on a place basis, to meet the needs of the communities they serve
Read more about how the District Collaborative model has evolved