Blackburn with Darwen Community Network is a new partnership of Voluntary Community Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations and groups in Blackburn with Darwen which has been set up to support positive change within the local area and to work in partnership with the Borough Council, the NHS, and other key partners to prioritise the things that matter to our communities and to the VCFSE Sector.
The Network is currently seeking a new Chairperson. You can find more information, including a job description and person specification, in the document below: –
Purpose of the BwD Community Network
- Take Action for what we want to achieve.
- Create a Shared Plan with key priorities.
- Coordinate work across organisations and networks.
- Involve people who are not normally asked or listened to (“seldom heard voices”).
- Demonstrate our value by gathering information about the sector and about volunteers.
- Promote what everyone does.
- Nominate people to be the voice of the Community Network within the wider society.
The focus of the network’s efforts is to create positive social, economic and environmental change within Blackburn with Darwen and the neighbourhoods that make up Blackburn with Darwen. The Network is a constituted body with its own Board that was formally established in April 2024. Community CVS provided the secretariat to support the Community Network in its endeavours.
We are currently developing a 6Ps VCFSE Strategy for Blackburn with Darwen (People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace, Place and Participation) to guide our efforts up until 2030. A 6Ps Conference was held in June 2024 and we have plans to share a draft strategy for consultation over the autumn period.
If you have what it takes to lead a new Board and a new Network to make a difference to communities across Blackburn with Darwen we would love to hear from you.
Application process
Deadline for applications is 12 noon on Monday 25th November. We expect applicants to submit a curriculum vitae (CV) with a covering letter that explains why you are the right person for the role and addresses the points raised in the person specification.
If you want to discuss the opportunity please do not hesitate to contact Garth Hodgkinson (CEO – Community CVS) or Donna.
Community CVS provides the secretariat for the Blackburn with Darwen Community Network with Garth and Donna being the main supporting officers. Philippa Cross from the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Integrated Care Board and Richard Brown from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council are nominated supporting officers from the NHS and the local authority.
