Voluntary Action Rotherham

A ten-strong team from the Sheffield office of national law firm Irwin Mitchell has undertaken a makeover at Rotherham youth accommodation charity, Rush House.    The solicitors, trainee solicitors and legal executives transformed a day room for the centre, which provides short and medium term shelter and support services to vulnerable young people aged 16 – 25.

The project came about after Irwin Mitchell contacted Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR) to enquire about needy projects as part of the law firm’s Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) programme.

Complete the Rotherham Infrastructure Network Annual Survey to help shape future services in Rotherham and be in with a chance of winning £100 for your group!

We know that this is a very difficult and unsure time for many voluntary and community groups. We know that many of you are facing an increasing demand for your services at the same time as the future funding to continue to support your work is uncertain. We know that many of you are having to make very difficult decisions as to whether you can continue to run your services and even your organisation and this will have a significant impact on your users, your staff and volunteers.

We are trying to get a quick snapshot of what the current situation is for the voluntary and community sector, what support you may need and what help may be available to VCS organisations , if possible, in the immediate future – ie the next 3-6 months.

Have you ever wanted to give something back to your community? Are you passionate about a cause and want to get involved?

Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR) has appointed Margaret Oldfield as Chair of its Board of Trustees.

Margaret is a popular stalwart of the town’s charity sector, having helped start a number of charitable organisations and advise at Board level for others. As well as developing relationship counselling service RELATE in the town, Margaret has been Chairman of Rotherham Health Authority and more recently has just retired as Chairman of Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, a position she held for nine years. A former Chair of Governors at Wickersley School and Sports College, Margaret also worked with South Yorkshire Police in establishing Rotherham Domestic Violence Forum, which she headed for many years and has been a member of the Home Office Victims Advisory Panel

Welcoming Margaret to the Board, VAR Chief Executive Janet Wheatley said, “This is a time of great difficulty for many community and voluntary groups, with funding and income desperately hard to come by despite an increasing need for their services. Margaret’s knowledge and experience will be a great asset at VAR as we do our level best to support local groups so that they in turn can continue to do their best for local people and communities in Rotherham.”