THIRD SECTOR INFLUENCING GROUP
DVSC facilitates and supports the work of the Third Sector Influencing Group.
We invited expressions of interest for membership of the Group in January 2018 with network leads appointed in April 2018. The roles are voluntary and network leads can sit on the Group for three years after which there will be another expression of interest process.
The group aims to engage the Council and other partners on key strategic priorities informed by discussions and intelligence gathered through DVSC's networks and forums.
Engagement between the Third Sector Influencing Group and the Council is underpinned by the Third Sector Compact which allows for regular contact between network leads from the third sector in Denbighshire to influence and engage Denbighshire County Council on sector interests, and our shared principles and objectives. The Group is expected to meet with the Council three times a year. Members of the Council's Third Sector Influencing Group can be found here.
We will publish further information as the Group's work gets underway and feedback through our networks and channels of communication. Subscribe here if you wish to receive updates.
Members of the Third Sector Influencing Group
Helen Wilkinson – Chair of the Third Sector Influencing Group
Helen was brought up in North Wales and has worked in public policy, communications and social entrepreneurship at director level for almost three decades with a wide range of organisations. In 2010, Helen returned to North Wales, and joined the Wales Council for Voluntary Action leading the organisation’s policy and influencing work with a specific focus on anti-poverty, and European Programmes. She has been a member of key Welsh Government strategic forums reporting to Welsh Government Ministers including its Budget Advisory Group on Equality, Strategic Equality Plan Board, Human Rights Stakeholder Group, and National Regeneration Panel.
Helen became Chief Executive of Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council in 2016 and was appointed to the Big Lottery Fund’s Wales Committee in February 2018. A passionate advocate of the third sector, and community led conversations, Helen is delighted to be chairing the Third Sector Influencing Group, and facilitating its liaison with Denbighshire County Council and other public service partners. She is looking forward to working with the network leads, and members, to engage and influence partners on issues of concern to the sector and shared priorities.
Lesley Powell – Network Lead on Tackling Poverty and Social Inclusion
Lesley has worked in the 3rd sector for over 25 years and started out as a volunteer with South Denbighshire Citizens Advice Bureau before eventually becoming CEO of Citizens Advice Denbighshire. Lesley has lived in Denbighshire for most of her life, and she knows the county well. Her personal network of contacts which stretches across the county and her experience across several roles within the voluntary sector will be of great value to the Group.
Sue Wright – Network Lead on Health and Wellbeing
Sue’s most recent job role was managing a Comic Relief funded programme within Age Connects North Wales Central that worked with residents in care homes across Denbighshire, Conwy and Gwynedd. Sue has over 30 years of experience helping others, be that through her work with Age Connects and Denbighshire Social Services amongst others as well as her work as a Dementia Champion and the Chair of the Ageing Well in Denbighshire Group. Sue’s experience and knowledge in this area makes her a real asset to the group and we are grateful to have her as our Network Lead on Health and Wellbeing. Sue is the third sector representative on the Community Health Council's Denbighshire Committee.
Lindsey Haveland – Network Lead on Volunteering and Building Resilient Communities
Lindsey has worked in the Third Sector for a number of years, as a youth worker, as the Children & Young People’s Liaison Officer and then as the Health, Social Care & Wellbeing Facilitator for DVSC, before joining the Community Transport Association and more recently the British Red Cross. As a member of various networks, including being a founder member of the Co-Production Network and a member of WCVA’s Equalities and Human Rights Coalition and Public Health Wales’ Network, Lindsey has access to a range of networks which can support her role as Network Lead on Volunteering and Building Resilient Communities and the Group as a whole.
Josephine Wynne-Eyton - Network Lead on Children & Young People
Jo’s early experience was in Manchester as a Youth Officer for GMPTE (Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, where she worked across the ten districts of Greater Manchester, developing partnerships with both statutory and third sector organisations. This was followed by her District Coordinator role where she managed and built key strategic relationships within the districts of Greater Manchester and sat on Local Strategic Partnership Boards.
Jo has more recently set up a charity, The Denbigh Workshop. Drawing on her professional training in acting, The Denbigh Workshop has afforded Jo with the opportunity to work and plan activities with a wide variety of young people and children with diverse needs and who are facing significant challenges in their lives.
A key reason why Jo applied for this role was to develop a network that can support organisations like hers who work with Children and Young People and we are very grateful to have Jo’s enthusiasm and commitment to helping others, matched with her experience in a variety of sectors, which make her a great addition to the group as Network Lead on Children & Young People.
Geoff Stevenson - Network Lead on Social Enterprise
Geoff has sixteen years’ experience in social enterprise interventions – start-ups, company registration, governance, Board training, funding and mentoring – and is a qualified enterprise workshop trainer through ILM, having developed and delivered training in social enterprise governance and legal form. As well as an EDI Award in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector and a BTEC Award in Social and Community Enterprise, Geoff currently supports social firms active in autism training and education, learning disabilities, and in community development. Geoff’s wealth of knowledge and experience will be a great help to the group and of great use in his role as Network Lead on Social Enterprise. He is also a Mentor for the DTA Wales' Enterprising Solutions programme to beneficiaries in North East Wales.
We are still accepting Expressions of Interest for the following areas:
- Welsh Language and Equalities
- Housing and Regeneration
- Sustainable Development
To make an Expression of Interest in one of the above network lead positions please complete the Expression of Interests form, which can be found by clicking the button below, and send to engagement@dvsc.co.uk
For further information and an informal discussion contact Helen Wilkinson, helenw@dvsc.co.uk or call her on 07713 997 075.
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BECOME A SUPPORTER
Hello again … … today we have a small favour to ask. Volunteers, voluntary and community action and the third sector are at the heart of building more sustainable and resilient communities and we need them more than ever.
DVSC receives core funding from the Welsh Government but we need to raise more money so that we can continue to provide excellent sector support - whether you're a volunteer, voluntary and community group or a third sector organisation.
We can provide a wealth of information and resources and we want to keep our services as accessible as we can, and to reach as many groups as we can. So we think it’s fair to ask people who visit us often for their help - if they feel able to give it.
Our Sector Support service is resource intensive, but we are investing in it because we believe providing support to volunteers, voluntary and community groups, charities, social enterprises and community interest companies - has to be at the heart of what we do. If you like what we are about, and you want to help support it, our future would be much more secure.
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