Places for everyone

Telephone
0191 3871192

Email
karen@chesterlestreetcvs.co.uk

Website
www.chesterlestreetcvs.co.uk

Experience of working with third sector organisations

Experience
I have worked as the Senior Development Worker with this CVS since October 2005. In this capacity I have supported local VCS organisations with the following: Funding advice and support; Governance issues; Policy Development; Legal structures advice; Charity registration; Incorporation; Social enterprise development. I advise groups on grants, contracts and SLA’s, tax effective income, business support and income generation. I have supported a range of local and sub-regional and regional organisations which have included: Community associations running community buildings; Self help and support groups; Community groups health related charities and organisations; Organisations working with children and young people. I regularly work with community buildings and was part of our (former) District Councils working group which was tasked with reviewing community facilities locally. I am currently working with three community buildings (one of these a successful community asset transfer) on a joint Modernisation Fund project aimed at helping them become more enterprising and able to work collaboratively in terms of public sector procurement. My work involves queries related to social enterprise development. I have helped set up four community interest companies in the last 8 months drawing up their memorandum and articles of association and providing start up and development advice.

Reference
Chester-le-Street Mind

"Karen has worked very closely with Chester-le-Street Mind over a number of years. She has demonstrated her commitment, expertise and energies in enabling the chairty to move forward. The most recent example of this has been in relation to a Lottery bid in which the charity were successful in gaining funding for a mental health project over a 5 year period. This project was one of the largest funded for mental health by the Lottery. This bid was developed over a number of weeks and required intensive work by officers of the charity with a major element in its success being the support and consultancy afforded by Karen. Not only has Karen provided her expertise in this project she has been available for discussion and clarity in regard to a range of issues faced by the charity. These have included training, organisational development and governanace of the charity. Karen has the ability to provide expertise in regard to financial budgetry issues, human resouces, analysis in regard to public health and of capacity and demand levels in regard to community projects. We take great pleasure in supporting Karen within the Bank of Expertise."

Reference
Chester-le-Street Methodist Church

"My association with Karen has been almost entirely in relation to a £1million major capital development at Chester-le-Street Methodist Church which is now nearing completion. Fundraising has been a major factor for us and whilst the Church itself has been very successful in generating a significant amount of local funding it was clear we would need to seek the support of outside funding bodies. In this we had virtually no experience and we have relied very heavily on Karen for advice and guidance. Our main success was in being awarded a grant of £500k from the National Lottery under their Community Buildings programme. Karen’s expertise proved invaluable in this process. We constantly consulted her and she joined representatives from the project Steering Group when we met with National Lottery officials before they formally approved our bid. In addition to the Lottery bid Karen has helped us with numerous other applications where we have made successful bids. I cannot speak too highly of the contribution Karen made to our capital project. She has a wealth of experience and knowledge from which our project has benefited and which I am sure she will willingly share with other organisations should the opportunity arise."