Urban 2 Community Participation Project
Evaluation Celebration Event

On Wednesday 2nd April the project invited colleagues, beneficiaries, and working partners, to join us in celebrating the work carried out during the last three and a half years.
After a delicious lunch at the Albert Maddox Suite at Burnley Football Club, where attendees were asked to fill in an evaluation form for our (eternal supply of) ERDF evidence, Mr Philip Clay, Chair of Burnley Pendle & Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service addressed the audience.
The project came to be, following a successful funding application made to Burnley Urban 2 Community Initiative Programme, under Priority 1: Empowering the Community; Measure 2: Leadership & Management.
The project aimed to:

• Identify local residents and groups that were interested in widening their community involvement.
• Provide mentoring and training to individuals and small groups.
• Raise awareness of the work of Burnley Action Partnership (BAP) and the objectives of the Community Plan/Strategy.

Christine Blythe & Heather Starkie were recruited to CVS In November 2004 to work full time on what was originally a 20 month long project. The success of the project and the availability of additional ERDF funding meant that the term was extended on several occasions and has in fact now been running for almost 3 ½ years.
Christine, our Project Officer, addressed the audience, on behalf of the project staff.
Thanking Phil for his kind words, Christine out-lined her experience in being involved with our project. How appreciative she was at the opportunities she had been able to take advantage of, for advancement in both her personal and professional development.
We have met some wonderful people over the last 3½ years, many who joined us for our celebration. And we both hope to continue our associations in the future.
One of the great successes of our project activity has been the development of the CVS Training Programme. This has been a wonderful team-working partnership between members of CVS Staff, and will continue to develop and expand beyond this projects’ delivery.
Special thanks were given to Peter Sweetmore for creating a wonderful Pastiche, in the form of a Power Point Presentation, with interviews, music and photographic evidence, which we were then treated to view.
The project staff has been successful in securing new posts at CVS.
This month, Christine, The project manager takes up the new post of Development Officer. This will ensure continued on-going mentoring support with existing associates, and group development.
Heather, the project administrator takes up the new post of Training Co-ordinator. This will ensure continuity for existing project beneficiaries in identifying training opportunities and signposting to training where appropriate.
Together, the two new posts will evidence the success of the project, ensure continuity of support for individuals and groups, provide expansion of service and enhance the CVS development support, throughout the Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale Boroughs.

Thank You for your support in contributing to our Projects Success!

Christine and Heather