Dear Colleagues,
During this year and particularly over the last few months, WVCA has gone through unprecedented changes including the ending of Talent Match, a multimillion-pound project, senior leadership change and moving out of a building that we had occupied for 20 years.
It is testament to our staff that they have stuck with us and continued to work to the best of their ability for people who use our services.
This has also been a challenging year for communities in Wolverhampton and across the country with no let-up in the cost-of-living crisis which continues to hit the most vulnerable people hardest. We know that across the Black Country, we have some of the poorest outcomes in the UK in terms of physical and mental health and wellbeing which many partner agencies are working together to address.
However, we are fortunate to have a VCSE which is resilient, positive and forward-thinking. We have a steady stream of people who want to volunteer or set up a charity or develop a social enterprise despite difficult circumstances, reduced funding and slow economic growth. This is part of our strength. The VCSE is complex and we do not all agree on all matters but as we go forward into the new year, we will continue to support groups and organisations in Wolverhampton and hope that we can come together and agree our shared common ground.
We would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of the staff at WVCA.
Sharon Nanan-Sen
Chief Executive Officer
Wolverhampton Voluntary & Community Action