Join us – become a member of Community CVS & the BwD Community Network

Click here to download the Community CVS/BwD Community Network membership form.
You can see a list of Community CVS members here.
Please contact Donna Talbot if you have any further questions you’d like answering.

Conditions of membership

These are set down by our Articles of Association and by bye-laws agreed by the CVS Executive Committee.

Condition 1 – Agreeing to the Guarantee

Community CVS is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. In accordance with paragraph three of the Articles of Association (our constitution) every member must agree to the following:-

“The liabilities of the members is limited.  Every member promises if the charity is dissolved while he or she is a member or within 12 months after he or she ceases to be a member, to contribute such sum [not exceeding £1] as may be demanded of him or her towards the payment of debts or liabilities of the charity incurred before he or she ceases to be a member, and of costs, charges and expenses of winding up, and the adjustment of the rights of the contributories amongst themselves”.

Condition 2 – Agreeing to Blackburn with Darwen Community Network membership

Membership of CVS automatically means your organisation is also a member of Blackburn with Darwen Community Network, which acts as the representative voice for the voluntary, community and faith sector within Blackburn with Darwen.  Membership of the Community Network means your organisation will receive information, invited to events and forums, be consulted on matters of local importance and be allowed to nominate people for and elect people to be the chair and vice chair of the Forum, who sits on the Local Strategic Partnership Board and to various partnership bodies that operate within Blackburn with Darwen.

Condition 3 – Agreeing to CVS objects and core values

Your group or organisation must support our objects and core values (listed below) and be able to demonstrate that:

  • it is a not for private profit organisation (i.e. its affairs are managed by and/or are ultimately accountable to a group of people for no pecuniary advantage);
  • its aims and objects are broadly charitable or for the public good to the exclusion of private gain;
  • it is conducted for the benefit of the public and is active in the community;
  • it’s activities benefit people in or around Blackburn with Darwen;
  • it is committed to supporting the principles of equal opportunity and respect for diversity, consistent with Blackburn with Darwen CVS’s Equality and Diversity Policy;
  • if linked to a particular religion or faith community, its community activities are not primarily intended to propagate a particular religion or faith

CVS is a membership based organisation which exists to promote, develop and support voluntary and community action in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen and across Lancashire.  Our objects are:-

  1. To promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of the community in the local government areas of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire and its environs and in particular the advancement of education, the protection of health and relief of poverty, distress and sickness;
  2. To build the capacity of third sector organisations and provide them with the necessary support, information and services to enable them to pursue or contribute to any charitable purpose within the area of benefit;
  3. To promote, organise and facilitate co-operation and partnership working between third sector, statutory and other relevant bodies in the achievement of the above purposes within the area of benefit.

Using an asset based community development approach, we aim to build:

“A vibrant community, which is independent, resilient and sustainable, where local people from all walks of life support each other to achieve their potential and lead healthy productive lives”

 To do this we will be:-

  • Inspiring people & organisations to action:
    through volunteering, through donating money or resources to make a positive contribution to the life of the community.
  • Connecting people & organisations across all sections of society:
    helping to create the social networks across our communities, including the social economy, commercial economy and public sector economy to instigate positive change.
  • Influencing decision makers to listen:
    to local residents, charities, community groups and social enterprises, who have a voice to shape key decisions about the local community.
  • Developing charities, social enterprises & projects:
    building the capabilities of existing local organisations to meet identified priorities and needs within our local community and helping to set up new charities, social enterprises and projects that meet identified priorities and needs within our local community.
  • Targeting our support:
    to the most vulnerable within society and the more deprived neighbourhoods within our community.  We aim to provide help where it is most needed and where our impact can make the most difference to improve their health and well-being and improve their quality of life.

Our core values are:-

Community Stewardship

  • We are committed to working with individuals (residents, students, volunteers) and partner organisations from across the public, social and commercial economies to make positive changes to our neighbourhoods and communities.
  • We value service to the community over self-interest.
  • We believe that everyone with a locality has a responsibility to support positive social change for people living there and for future generations.
  • We believe that everyone has a civic responsibility to be involved in looking after our community and making it a better place to live, to work, to learn, to volunteer, to get on with each other, to have fun and enjoy life.
  • We need to look after the environment and promote sustainable forms of development.

Co-operation

  • We value co-operation and actively encourage individuals and organisations to work together in partnership for the benefit of the community.
  • We will work with local charities, community groups and social enterprises to support each other across the social economy.
  • We will work with the business community to get them involved with the local community supporting local residents, charities, community groups and social enterprises.
  • We will work alongside public sector agencies for the benefit of the community and will aim to build closer links across the sectors.

Fairness

  • We value social justice, equality and solidarity and strive to achieve a more equal society as a way of supporting the social, economic and environmental well-being of everyone within the community.
  • We respect people’s similarities and differences and treat people in an equitable and fair manner irrespective of their age, gender, disability, ethnicity, faith or belief or sexual orientation.
  • We will offer additional or more targeted support to those who need a little bit of extra help to overcome barriers and start making a positive contribution to society (e.g. supporting people in recovery, ex-offenders, people with a disability or health condition, people living in poverty, the unemployed, etc.).

Voluntary Action

  • We value voluntary action, which is activity that is not pursued for private gain or profit but for social benefit and to put something back into our community.
  • We believe volunteering is a valuable part of life that contributes to health and well-being.

Willingness to Listen, Learn & Innovate

  • We value and are willing to try new ways of working.
  • We are interested in listening to people’s ideas and learning from other people in order to improve what we do and the impact we have.
  • We will use tried and tested approaches that can be evidenced to work, but we are also not afraid of trying new approaches and experimenting.

“To achieve positive social change by inspiring people and communities through social action”

Mission statement

Our Strategic Objectives

  • Support: targeting our support to the most vulnerable within society to improve their health and well-being and future life chances
  • Action: inspiring people and organisations to action to build community resilience
  • Resource: developing charities, social enterprises and projects to build community assets that are responsive to meeting local challenges and priorities
  • Volunteer: connecting people and organisations across all sections of society to give their time freely to improving the quality of life for local communities

Condition 4 – Commitment to Equality of Opportunity and Respect for Diversity

Your group or organisation must commit to equality of opportunity and respect for diversity and support the following statement of intent:-

  • CVS recognises that many people in our society experience discrimination or lack of opportunity for reasons which are not fair. These include: race, religion, creed, colour, national and ethnic origin, political beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, appearance, geographical area, social class, income level, or criminal record.
  • CVS will challenge discrimination and lack of opportunity in its own policy and practice and will help other organisations and individuals to do the same.
  • CVS aims to create a culture that respects and values each others’ differences.
  • CVS sees these differences as an asset to our work as they improve our ability to meet the needs of the organisations and people we serve.

All member organisations must declare their support for the statement of intent (above) which forms part of our Equality and Diversity Policy. Failure to do so may result in a disciplinary action and/or ineligibility for membership. The full Equality and Diversity Policy is available upon request.

Condition 5 – Signing the Application Form for membership

By signing the application form, you are providing the written consent for your group or organisation to become a member of Blackburn with Darwen CVS and confirm that your group or organisation agrees with and agrees to abide by all the conditions of membership.

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