Cornwall Rural Community Council

A celebration of the outstanding achievements of more than 100 Cornish voluntary sector and community groups was hosted by Cornwall Rural Community Council (CRCC) on 30 September in Newquay.

With assistance from CRCC’s Capacity Building Team, all the groups had been helped to access one or more stream of Convergence funding to improve valuable services to their communities.  The winners of each category were presented cheques ranging from £100 to £500 to further fund training opportunities for their groups.

St Austell Air Cadets won ‘Most Innovative Fund Raising Approach’ for encouraging their young membership of 13 to 19 year olds to act as stewards at the Liskeard Steam Vintage Club at Boconnoc Estate.  The young people volunteered for five hours a day, over a four day period using their leadership skills and radio communication equipment to supervise the event.  The Squadron received a cheque for £100 to go towards future training for the Cadets.

The winners of ‘Best Use of Training Monies’ were Newquay Cricket Club. The club encouraged their members to undertake a Skills for Life training course in literacy or numeracy as a whole club project.  Thirty-five members completed the course and acquired a qualification (for some the first they had ever achieved) giving them valuable confidence that they could undertake further training.  The club are now looking for further funding opportunities to employ some of the trained coaches and were awarded £100 to encourage further training.

The ‘Small Organisation/Big Achiever’ award went to the Mires Mor project, a not for profit, social enterprise working with disadvantaged, under privileged, socially excluded and unemployed people.  The group took an innovative approach to encouraging people into further education, volunteering opportunities or employment by running courses on traditional and environmentally friendly sailing vessels – they received £200 towards their training costs.

DISC were the worthy winners of ‘Most Inclusive Organisation’.  The group provides a safe space, hot meal and valuable support to marginalized and socially excluded people. The organisation operates from Camborne Parish Church hall four days a week and is run by two community support workers who offer high levels of support and advocacy, along side a cook and volunteers, many of whom started off as part of the target group.  They were presented with £100 to support their training costs for staff and volunteers.

The final group to receive an award for the category ‘Group Making the Most Difference’ were Jinga Communities CIC.  The group were recognised for not only having an impact on Cornwall and its inhabitants but because it also “put Cornwall on the global map” following its founding director’s trip to Sweden and seminar’s on how Capoeira and Samba are being used to improve the lives of young people in Cornwall”.   Jinga uses Capoeira and associated Afro-Brazilian art forms to engage young people to build confidence, social skills, fitness and rhythm, thereby improving lives, promoting social inclusion and cultural diversity as well as helping to develop community cohesion. The group were delighted to receive £500 to build on further development of exciting and innovative training for staff and volunteers.

Groups were given the opportunity to network and share best practice and listen to inspirational stories on capacity building voluntary organisations from Arwen Folkes, Real Baby Milk Company and Craig Blackburn, Jinga Communities CIC.  Jasmine Sharman from Cornwall VSF and Jon Teague from CRCC’s Vital Venues project also spoke on the opportunities available to VCS groups going forward post Phase One of Convergence.

Paul Green, Team Leader Social Inclusion of CRCC said

“This was a fantastic event.  It was so good to hear and share the success stories of some of the marvellous groups we have been privileged to work with.  Convergence monies have helped to build these groups so that they are now in a much better position organisationally, financially and to offer high quality training and services to the individuals, groups and communities they aim to serve.”

This was the first event of its kind and was received well, giving the much deserved recognition to many groups who work tirelessly to improve the lives of so many people.  To get more information on how your group can access Convergence funding, please contact CRCC’s Capacity Building Service on 01726 821945 or see www.cornwallrcc.org.uk