Thursday 28th June 2018, has seen SCLT volunteer trustee Ash Jones attending the South West Regional Members Assembly Meeting of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), which was held at the Co Lab Community Hub in Exeter in Devon. The meeting drew a wide cross section of volunteers, professionals and trustees from across the region, who received a number of presentations from the attending NCVO team on the subjects on the future state of volunteering within the charity industry, the impact of BREXIT upon the third sector and resulting governmental support and an insightful overview of the impact of the whole voluntary sector upon the United Kingdom.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England. NCVO works to support the voluntary and community sector and to create an environment in which an independent civil society can flourish. NCVO has a membership of more than 12,000 voluntary organisations. These range from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level.
NCVO represents the views of its members, and the wider voluntary sector to government, the European Union and other bodies. It carries out research into, and analysis of, the voluntary and community sector. It campaigns on issues affecting the whole of the voluntary and community sector, such as the role of voluntary and community organisations in public service delivery and the future of local government. It provides information, advice and support to other organisations and individuals working in or with the voluntary and community sector. Many now well-established voluntary organisations started out as projects within NCVO, including Age Concern, Citizens Advice, the Charities Aid Foundation, the Black Environment Network, the Youth Hostel Association and the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs.