The UK volunteering and learning charity
Latest News from CSV
Tales of the City wanted for oral history project
Current and former residents and workers of London’s Square Mile and its surrounding areas are being urged to come forward to share their stories and memories of the City for a community history project.
The project is coordinated by CSV, the UK’s leading volunteering charity, and will be run from the new Artizan Street Library complex. The aim of the project is to promote understanding of local history by sharing stories and experiences of the local area.
Volunteering is the antidote to declining physical and mental health in retirement
CSV’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP) is proof that retirement need not signal the start of a decline in physical and mental health as claimed in research published today by the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Age Endeavour Fellowship.
RSVP volunteer organiser Betty Bryden says: “Playing an active role in the community through volunteering can be life changing. Being active and engaged opens up a whole new world of opportunities, giving people a new lease of life and a reason to look forward to new possibilities.”
CSV to help small charities fill their expertise gap with skilled volunteers
Skilled volunteers are being offered free of charge to small charities with the aim of helping them measure their impact – thanks to CSV, the UK’s leading volunteering charity.
As research published by the Foundation for Social Improvement recently suggested many small charities are struggling because of a skills deficit, CSV has launched the ‘Measuring the Good’ initiative to provide highly-skilled volunteers to assist charities in identifying and developing ways to measure their impact and outcomes.
Young artists to be celebrated by V&A through CSV poster competition
Talented artists aged between 16 and 25 are being encouraged by CSV to get creative and design a dazzling poster to celebrate the potential of young people – with the winner to be chosen by the V&A museum’s print curator.
Odd job volunteers wanted in Forth Valley
People in Stirling who are ‘good with their hands’ are being urged to volunteer to do odd jobs around the homes of people in need.
The ‘Handy Person Service’ is run by CSV in Forth Valley as part of its Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP). The volunteers do small and minor jobs for the elderly, people with disabilities and those with limited mobility.
Celebrate Britain's architectural heritage by volunteering this summer
CSV is once again urging young people to volunteer this summer by joining a Heritage Camp to help preserve or restore a famous cathedral, church or historic building.
The CSV Heritage Camps take place every year during July and August at various locations across the UK and gives young people the chance to play a vital part in protecting the country’s architectural heritage. Each camp is led by two experienced volunteer team leaders, who are also part of the team.
'Urban forager' project launches CSV Action Earth 2013
An edible hedge and mini orchard will be planted to celebrate the launch of the CSV flagship environmental campaign Action Earth at Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park Local Nature Reserve in Edinburgh at 2pm on Monday 29th April 2013.
Hundreds of CSV Action Earth grants from £50 to £500 are now available to voluntary groups and individuals across Scotland thanks to funding from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The grants will fund hands-on initiatives designed to support volunteering in outdoor spaces.
CSV takes strategic role in improving health and wellbeing
CSV is one of 21 organisations chosen by the Department of Health this year to be part of the Health and Care Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme 2013/14.
CSV will use its considerable expertise enabling and managing volunteering and social action in health and social care contexts to support the programme’s priorities and objectives.
The programme provides a way for policy makers to reach thousands of voluntary and community sector organisations and local communities through the depth and reach of all the partners’ networks.
Green grants up for grabs
CSV’s Action Earth campaign is giving away grants worth up to £500 to get people in Scotland more involved in their local outdoor spaces.
Grants of £250 are available to support voluntary groups and individuals to kick start environmental projects that will boost Scotland’s natural habitats. Local Nature Reserves can apply for enhanced grants of £500 to attract new volunteers through practical and educational activities.
CSV research sheds new light on changing relationships in employee volunteering programmes
Innovative research carried out by volunteering charity CSV has shed new light on the relationships between employers, employees and community groups engaged in employee volunteering programmes.
The research, entitled ‘Employee Volunteering – Who’s Benefiting Now?’ highlights some of the issues stakeholders need to address in order to maximise the impact they can make.
CSV’s LifeLines older men’s cooking group appears on BBC One ‘The One Show’
Older men from CSV’s LifeLines project in Brighton will be showing off their recently-learned cooking skills on BBC One’s The One Show today, Friday 5 April at 7pm.
The 'cook, share and eat' group brings together older men who haven’t had much experience in the kitchen to learn how to eat healthily and cook themselves nutritious meals at home.
Group member Roger Small, 74, said: “I enjoy the company and I look forward to going. It’s as much about being part of the group as the cooking itself.”
Charities team up to benefit unemployed, elderly and excluded young people
Elderly people in Hartcliffe, south Bristol, are benefiting from the donation of a van to CSV’s environmental project which provides a landscaping and gardening service so they can carry on enjoying their gardens when maintenance gets beyond them.
CSV has been working with the Job Centre to provide work placements for the long-term unemployed so that they have the opportunity to gain a certificate in work-based horticulture and improve their chances of finding work.
Help write a community history of London's Square Mile
We are inviting people who live and work in the City of London Square Mile and surrounding areas to take part in an oral history project. We want to promote understanding of local history by sharing stories and experiences of the local area.
The project is coordinated by CSV, the UK volunteering and learning charity, and will be run from the new Artizan Street Library complex.
Charities champion greater people power in local health and social care in support of NHS Change Day
To mark NHS Change Day on 13 March, a partnership of four leading national charities Healthwatch-Communities Involved is calling on people and communities to make their mark by getting involved and adding their voice to how health and social care services are run in their area.
CSV celebrates the achievements of volunteers supporting families
Today, CSV thanked volunteers in Bristol for their role and valuable contribution in supporting troubled families.
The celebration event by CSV Parent Mentoring saw a host of volunteers, families and professionals from Bristol City Council speak about their experiences.
A single parent with one teenage child said “I was a bit of mess before my volunteer came to help me. I struggled to organise my bills and didn’t have a way of knowing what I paid or owed.
Mentors needed in Leeds to support offenders
Volunteers living in Leeds are needed to mentor offenders being released from prison to help them with employment, housing and education.
CSV, UK volunteering and learning charity, is recruiting volunteers to offer 1-2-1 mentor support to people who are about to be released from prison or serving a sentence in the community. Mentors will support them to find employment, accommodation, enrol in community courses as well as offering guidance and a listening ear.
CSV Volunteering helps young people with learning disabilities make the transition
The CSV Respect Us programme was run in mainstream schools, special schools and colleges across five London boroughs: Barking and Dagenham, Bromley, Hackney, Islington and Lewisham between 2010 and 2012.
Diane Abbot MP thanks Hackney teens for volunteering efforts
They came together to celebrate the volunteering achievements of young people living in Hackney, and to thank them for the benefits they have brought the local area.
Community Service Volunteers (CSV), 237 Pentonville Road, London N1 9NJ, UK. Main switchboard: 020 7278 6601. Copyright © 2013 CSV.
CSV is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 291222 and in Scotland no. SC039171. CSV is a company limited by guarantee no. 1435877.