Gateshead Voluntary Organisations Council
For Gev Pringle, Chief Executive of Gateshead Voluntary Organisations Council (GVOC), the driving force behind his participation in the Places for Everyone programme was the realisation that his capital development project had reached the stage of requiring dedicated funding. As an umbrella organisation seeking to support, promote and develop the local voluntary and community sector in Gateshead, GVOC was keen to utilise all its buildings for meeting rooms and work space.
This led Gev and his team to consider converting a large garage at the back of their office into a new conference centre. Gev hoped the centre would provide a mixture of spaces, including break out rooms and meeting rooms.
“I wanted confirmation that I was heading in the right direction and doing the right things."
With a vision for the new conference centre in place, Gev was beginning to consider how to fund the project when he came across Places for Everyone. He details his reasons for participating in the programme: “I wanted confirmation that I was heading in the right direction and doing the right things. The prospect of being able to apply for a pot of money to do a feasibility study was also very appealing.”
"The programme consolidated my plans and was a wholly positive experience. I’ve got to where I am now with Places for Everyone’s support.”
By attending the Places for Everyone workshop and benefitting from the one-to-one consultancy available, Gev felt confident that he had the knowledge and access to expertise required to carry out the project: “The workshop and consultancy were incremental in their effects and very positive. The programme gave me the confidence of knowing I was continuing on the right track and confirmed that if I got it right, I could bring in income to support the financing of the new building. The programme consolidated my plans and was a wholly positive experience. I’ve got to where I am now with Places for Everyone’s support.”
“The Feasibility Fund practically allowed me to move forward in a big step.”
In addition to the advice and support he received on the programme, Gev applied for and received the programme’s Feasibility Fund. By securing this funding, Gev proved that GVOC were searching for funding and advice from bodies other than the Council and he feels that this has made the Council more supportive of the capital development project.
“I now feel that I’m in much better shape to develop a business plan and hopefully unlock a second, or completely new, pot of funding.”
By combining the £2,000 Feasibility Fund grant with the £4,000 GVOC secured from Economic Development at the Council, Gev and his team were able to fund a feasibility study. Gev notes: “The Feasibility Fund practically allowed me to move forward in a big step.”
The feasibility study proved that by building the new conference centre, GVOC would save a great amount of money which would normally be spent renting out conference space elsewhere. The study also highlighted that the public sector, Council and Primary Care Trust were very positive about the possibility of using the new conference centre.
With this insight to draw on, Gev feels better equipped to progress the project: “I now feel that I’m in much better shape to develop a business plan and hopefully unlock a second, or completely new, pot of funding.”
With his plans steadily progressing, Gev is looking to the long term benefits of the project. The centre will become a permanent endowment to the charity and will be gifted by GVOC to the voluntary sector who will take ownership of the building. As a modern building with excellent technological capabilities, Gev hopes that the centre will assist “in teaching voluntary organisations how to use technology effectively and to improve their efficiency.”
