COMMUNITY ACTION HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH
Trading as VOLUNTARY ACTION HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH

Voluntary Action Hinckley & Bosworth - Our History

Voluntary Action Hinckley & Bosworth (VAHB), was formed in April 2002 from the merger of two key local Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) agencies – the Hinckley Area Volunteer Bureau and the Hinckley and Bosworth Council for Voluntary Service, who respectively supported district-wide volunteering and voluntary organisations. VAHB functioned as the key umbrella VCS agency in Hinckley and Bosworth District until March 2009, when the two core functions were contracted, to Voluntary Action Leicestershire (VAL) in a County Council VCS infrastructure reorganisation. Since April 2009, VAHB has operated a ‘Community Hub’ in support of the Hinckley and Bosworth voluntary and community sector, in partnership with VAL, as part of the new countywide infrastructure.

In 2010 Voluntary Action Hinckley & Bosworth became more focused on local community development and the Trustees and staff felt a change of name would more clearly reflect the wider scope of its current work. We are therefore using the name Community Action Hinckley & Bosworth (but will continue to trade as Voluntary Action Hinckley & Bosworth until our new name is formally adopted at the AGM in October 2010).

Community Action Hinckley and Bosworth - Our Business

CAHB continues in its aim to provide a range of services to meet the needs of the local community. Working positively with individuals and organisations; developing stronger, empowered communities is at the heart of what we do.
CAHB seeks to respond to identified needs and wants of people in Hinckley & Bosworth District, within the context of being a VCS agency with charitable status. CAHB is concerned to improve the quality of life of local people, particularly those who are disadvantaged, excluded or oppressed, through positive actions for change that will support and enable them to be empowered to make more of their lives, aspirations and futures.

Our Value Set – our values inform and shape our policies, priorities and practice

• Equality – we are committed to the value of equality which has a wide endorsement in our society, legally, morally and philosophically.- and as such it is our core value which underpins our other values. (Community Development National Occupational Standards value – Equality & Anti-discrimination)

Our Equality practice is concerned with: Inclusion; Valuing Diversity; Equal Opportunities; Mutual respect – care, honesty and fairness

• Quality – we are concerned to pursue quality in all of our organisational activities and outcomes. Our Quality practice is concerned with: Evidence Based Practice; Quality Development through benchmarking; Continuous Quality Improvement; Monitoring, Evaluation, Review and Planning; Accountability
• Learning – we see learning as the key change process within our development as an agency and in our practice (Community Development National Occupational Standards value – Working and Learning Together). What learning means for us includes: Learning from Experience; Being a Learning Organisation; Individual and collective learning for Empowerment, Choice and Responsibility
• Voluntary Action – we put volunteering and voluntary action at the heart of our business, as a way of being (Community Development National Occupational Standards value – Community Empowerment). This means that we value: the Voluntary – Community Sector and the spirit of Voluntarism, and we encourage and support Volunteering, and Voluntary & Community Groups
• Collective Action - we believe in the collective involvement of individuals in determining their futures, and those of their families, neighbourhoods and communities (Community Development National Occupational Standards values – Collective Action). Our commitment to Collective Action encourages: Relationship building; Active Participation; Co-working and Partnerships; Collective Empowerment and Responsibility
• Social Justice – we believe in challenging disadvantage and overcoming the effects of exclusion, discrimination and inequality (Community Development National Occupational Standards value – Social Justice). Our practice is concerned for: Human and Civil Rights; Environmental, Economic, Political and Cultural Justice; a Fair Society, locally and globally; Sustainability

Our Mission Statements

We will work as an agency to:
Identify needs and address these through supporting and empowering local people to develop stronger cohesive communities …..

• We will do this in partnership with VAL within the Leicestershire County Council VCS/CIO arrangements, acting as a Community Hub and a local resource for the Hinckley and Bosworth Voluntary–Community Sector
• We will work with partners within specifically identified areas of Hinckley & Bosworth District to engage with and empower local people to have a voice and bring about positive changes within their lives, their neighbourhoods and communities
• We will work with partners to identify and assess needs, and where appropriate, devise responsive projects and programmes, and gain resources to ensure that relevant changes and services can be effectively delivered
• We will develop and manage CAHB as a registered charity and as an efficient and effective VCS agency.

Our Trustees:

Mrs Margaret Ray - Chairperson
Mrs Dorothy Charles
Mr John Howard
Mr Paul Pittham
Miss Linda Rawlings
Mrs Judy Handford
Mrs Lindsey Short
Mr Chris Ladkin - Treasurer
Mrs Meriel Newman
Mr Mick O’Hara

Ex-Officio:
Anjana Bhatt
Cllr Don Wright
Cllr Ms Bronwyn Witherford
Mr Michael Butterfield - President