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What is Community Development?

Community development is about building active and sustainable communities based on social justice and mutual respect. It is about changing power structures to remove the barriers that prevent people from participating in the issues that affect their lives.

East Cornwall CVS has established a dynamic community development service with a team of experienced and dedicated community development officers. They have enabled local communities, through their community groups and voluntary organisations, to increase their capabilities for effective action.

Restormel

In June 2005 East Cornwall CVS were awarded a grant form the Big Lottery for a three year project to work specifically in the Restormel Borough Council areas. This project is to develop the capacity of community groups to be able to find local solutions for local problems and to strengthen the voluntary sector in Restormel to enable organisations to meet the challenges that they face in the modern world, in particular concentrating on the rural area that lies between Newquay and St Austell.

We provide the following services: Support with Group start-up, writing constitutions, organisational development, identifying relevant funders, assistance with funding bids, help with business plans.

All our services are free and we produce a highly successful newsletter "The Signpost" which provides information on all sorts of topics that are relevant to community groups.

The community development team conducts training on various subjects; such as successful fundraising, community communication and business plan writing. These courses can be delivered to community groups on request.

For further information contact: Anna Hoyle on 01208 75799.

North Cornwall

The ECCVS development team has helped many groups to learn to carefully analyse and understand the social problems and needs of their own areas. Community groups have been helped to conduct audits of community need and to assess whether the projects they first proposed were appropriate to deal with the social problems of the area, and meet the most important needs. This process has enabled many community groups to re-asses the priorities for their community and has devised additional and more relevant projects.

In June 2006 ECCVS obtained funding from North Cornwall District Council to deliver support and advice to community groups within the North Cornwall area.

ECCVS in partnership with the NCDC officers and other voluntary sector parties such as CRCC provides a joined up programme, drawing on the strengths of individual organisations but ensuring a lack of any duplication and the maintenance of the mission to develop strong, effective community groups and participation in North Cornwall.

The project works with parish councils/parish plan groups 'post parish plan' to help establish appropriate governance structures and understanding of roles and responsibilities, creation of policy documents.

The project also provides voluntary/community groups who have not been engaged in the preparation and planned delivery of a community strategic plan with advice on organisational development, constitutional models, financial management, identification of relevant funding and resources.

For further information contact: Anna Hoyle on 01208 75799.