The last few weeks have been very busy for all things ‘Connected Communities Fund’ – we’ve been in touch with groups hearing about progress with the activities they are providing, as well as discussing the way forward for a new round of the fund.

Looking back at the activity that has been supported we are learning from what has been strong, as well as where gaps have been identified, and this is all feeding in as we are finalising details for the launch of the Connected Communities Fund for 2023/2024.

Opportunities for meaningful connection

People have valued seeing the same people again when attending a group on a regular basis and befriending projects have allowed for relationships to be built over a period of time.

An attendee of a Warm Space programme in Cholsey remarked how the space created for people to get together was of particular benefit to them, “My financial situation has become more difficult, making it harder to go to cafes etc. with friends”.  The activities in the community pavilion allowed for friendships to be maintained and expanded.

Mind, body, and soul

But, of course, engaging in local activities isn’t just about staying socially active; it’s about nurturing wellbeing more generally.  Sports clubs, walking groups, and exercise classes have allowed for physical activity, at a range of levels.  Art, crafts, workshops and talks have offered creative and cognitive stimulation.  A new woodland walking group in Woodcote has offered sessions to promote wellbeing: “I wasn’t sure what to expect but felt it might help me give myself time to completely let go, enjoy nature and relax, and it certainly did.”

Giving back

We are also hearing about benefits for people other than those attending activities.  Organisers of a lunch club in Stonesfield have advised how it is “very rewarding for the volunteers to be part of this caring community”.  A supporter of activities from Bullingdon Community Association told us, “I think volunteering helps my mental health”.

The stories we are hearing from older people who are engaging in local activities—be it tending to a community garden or playing a game of short mat bowls—illustrate how these groups provide a sense of purpose and community belonging that sprinkle each week with a bit of vitality and joy.

Vicki Baker
Community Development Programme Officer, OCVA

Groups and organisations which rely on volunteers should treat people as individuals, offer flexibility wherever they can, and make volunteering enjoyable so that Oxfordshire continues to benefit from the invaluable contribution volunteers make to life in the county.

Training and support, clear communication, and work to ensure that volunteering is truly open to everyone who wants to give their time and skills is also key to ensuring a flourishing community and voluntary sector in our county.

These are among the key findings of new research by Community First Oxfordshire and Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action, as part of the creation of the Oxfordshire Vision for Volunteering.

Read the Executive Summary, including our key findings

What did volunteers tell us?

Over 350 people, volunteering with more than 470 diverse groups across the county, contributed to the research. We asked them they think needs to be done to ensure that volunteering in Oxfordshire has a sustainable and inclusive future.

Some of the key things they told us include:

• Volunteering should be open to everyone. Community and voluntary groups can support this by considering whether they can work in different, more flexible ways, and by thinking about how they can support everyone to access volunteering. This might include re-designing opportunities, thinking about how accessible physical spaces and regular time commitments are, and looking at where and how they recruit volunteers.
• Volunteers want to be treated as individuals, to be able to work according to their own strengths, and to feel that organisations are responsive to their circumstances.
• Volunteers need clear points of access to information about volunteering opportunities – to know where, when, and how they can volunteer – and to have a clearly defined role.
• Organisations should invest in communicating with and celebrating their volunteers. Volunteers want to feel like that they are making a difference, that they are part of a community, and to enjoy volunteering. Organisations and groups can support this by building relationships with and between volunteers, for example by offering occasional social activities outside of volunteering tasks.
• Volunteers would welcome more training and support, and less bureaucracy.

Ten principles for the Oxfordshire Vision for Volunteering

We listened to everything volunteers told us and have developed ten core principles which can help everyone involved in supporting volunteering – community and voluntary groups, local authorities, infrastructure organisations and funders – to nurture this crucial part of community life in Oxfordshire:

1. Include everyone
2. Keep it personal
3. Value the person
4. Nurture relationships
5. Offer flexibility
6. Make it enjoyable
7. Training and support matters
8. Create space for experimentation
9. Fund it
10. Build community

Emily Lewis-Edwards, Joint CEO of Community First Oxfordshire, said: “We hope that our ten-point plan will help local authorities, decision-makers and funders to foster the conditions that volunteering needs to thrive into the future. We also hope that our findings offer some useful practical suggestions for community organisations looking to tackle common issues, support their volunteers, and nurture a sustainable, inclusive and flourishing voluntary sector for Oxfordshire.”

Laura Price, CEO of Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action, said: “This project has shone a spotlight on the often-unacknowledged contribution of thousands of Oxfordshire residents to making the world a better place. Many of these amazing people don’t regard what they do as unusual or remarkable, but life in Oxfordshire would be far less bright without their generosity, commitment and creativity.”

Next steps

Working in partnership with community and voluntary sector organisations across Oxfordshire, and with local authority and other partners, we will develop an action plan to support the realisation of the Oxfordshire Vision for Volunteering. Keep an eye on the Community First Oxfordshire and OCVA websites and social media for more information or sign up to Pulse, OCVA’s weekly newsletter.

More information

• Vision for Volunteering Executive Summary, including key findings and the ten-point action plan
• Vision for Volunteering Full Report, including Volunteer Stories
• Discussion session report