THIS year is the Year of the Volunteer and
members of the Harrogate & District Voluntary and Community
Sector Forum are offering an open invitation to anyone wishing to
join them at their annual meeting to be held on Thursday, 10
November at St Wilfrid's Church Hall, Duchy Road,
Harrogate.
Nationally, more than 3750 voluntary and community
organisations across the country currently benefit from membership
of the National Council for Voluntary Service (NCVO).
Locally, a wide range of groups has joined forces under this
local sector forum, which was created in 2001 to promote good
working relationships between Harrogate Borough Council and the
voluntary and community sector.
This year's annual meeting is being used as an opportunity to
consult this vital sector on how the council can improve its
working links and support for their valuable voluntary and
community work.
Councillor Ian Galloway, who chairs the forum on behalf of the
council, said: "Recent research has shown that
the council has working links with over 70 such
groups. Whilst we are keen to improve our
support for them, I would like to emphasise that without their
support to us, and others in the district, it would be a poorer
place to live. We have a lot to thank them
for. Together, our vision is the same as the
NCVO, a society in which people are inspired to
make a difference to their communities.
"We are expecting a good turn out from the members of the forum but
we would be delighted to see other people join us to hear a bit
more about our work. The event starts at 9.15 am
and we will finish with a buffet lunch about 1.00
pm."
Anyone who would like to attend should contact Chris Houghton
on 01423 556076 to book a place.
NOTE TO EDITORS: 2005 is the
Year of the Volunteer and as part of this work a series of photos
commissioned by the local Volunteer Centre will be on display at
the main Council Offices in Crescent Gardens from 31 October to 18
November. The photos show volunteers involved in
activities across the district and aim to inspire more people to
get involved in voluntary work. There is a
direct link from the council's website www.harrogate.gov.uk to the
volunteer website www.do-it.org.uk which has a
host of ideas for involvement.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Councillor Ian Galloway is available for comment on 01423
522606.