Who are we?

The Voluntary & Community Support Team, part of the Shropshire Infrastructure Partnership, newly formed In Autumn 2021. One of our core objectives is to promote a well-informed, vibrant and sustainable voluntary and community sector, equipped to address local needs, whilst also able to benefit from funding, campaigns and initiatives at both local, regional and national level.

The team does this by free advice, guidance and support to local charitable groups and organisations. We also offer commissioned and accredited training, a volunteer brokerage service and support with grants and funding.

Allison Richardson

Team Manager

Alli has worked in the voluntary sector for 13 years, previously worked for BT for over 20 years. She started in the voluntary sector at Shropshire RCC now ‘Community Resource’ as the Preventative Services Development Officer. Alli then went on to set up and manage the regional ‘My Sighted Guide Service’ at Guide Dogs in the North West region. Alli has now returned to Community Resource to set up and manage the new Shropshire Infrastructure Partnership team.

Alli has a passion for supporting the voluntary community sector in Shropshire, which she also lives in. Through her previous roles, she is very much aware of how communities in Shropshire support each other and help change lives.

Alli also enjoys living in the country, where she has several chickens, a retired Guide Dog called Farley and a horse called Chubbaka AKA Chubby! Alli also loves getting away in her caravan at weekends and exploring Britain’s beautiful coastlines.

Duncan Spilsbury

Volunteer Engagement Officer

Duncan has been involved in community development and regeneration throughout his working career. He has worked around the UK in both the public and private sectors.

He is passionate about the role volunteers can play in their local communities, during the pandemic he was a volunteer at the Shrewsbury Bowls Vaccination Centre where, as a Team Leader he experienced first-hand the important and compassionate work volunteers undertake.  He is keen to build on this work and to harness the enthusiasm of volunteers across the county.

Duncan enjoys sport particularly rugby and football and is a season ticket holder at Wolverhampton Wanderers, if you can’t find him there he may well be at the cinema enjoying the latest releases.

Eden Ihle-Vance

Volunteer Engagement Officer

Eden has worked in International Development, Education and Charities for the past 10 years and supported and onboarded hundreds of youth volunteers and trained professionals into volunteer placements across Africa and Asia.

Eden grew up and worked in London and across the South East. She has also volunteered extensively in Namibia, Kenya and Sierra Leone.  Eden now lives with her young family in Shropshire where she set up The Marches first Careers Hub for schools and colleges across Shropshire, Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin, elevating good practice in careers education for young people.

She is really passionate about community action, harnessing the energy of volunteers to deliver meaningful projects.

Eden is also a ceramicist, printmaker and mural artist and enjoys spending time with her family at weekends and rambling in the Shropshire hills.

The team are really excited to be welcoming a further member early December 20021 who will be fulfilling the role of the Funding and Grants Officer.

How can we support you?

Whether you are thinking of setting up a community group, a fairly new group or organisation, or have been established for many years, we can support you with advice and guidance, training needs or access to grants and funding.

Advice and Guidance includes, but is not limited to;

• Governance, legal structure and decision making
• Compliance and sustainability
• Policy and Policy Development
• Good Practice in Volunteer Recruitment and Management
• Gaining charity commission accreditation
• Financial Management
• Roles & responsibilities of trustee and committee members.
• Buildings and Assets
• Annual Reporting

Training

We will be offering a varied range of commissioned and accredited training online and in person to support your group, organisation or volunteer needs and drive community leadership and social action.

Grant and Funding Promotion

• Grant and Funding advice
• Finding funding opportunities
• Support & guidance with writing a funding application
• Access to small grant awards.
• Meeting funder reporting requirements

Volunteer Brokerage

We also provide free volunteer brokerage service placing local, trained volunteers, into community groups and organisations, to facilitate positive volunteering experiences with the most impact. We aim to promote best practice in all areas of volunteer management, ensure choice and opportunity for people wishing to volunteer and contribute positively through enabling an environment in which volunteering flourishes.

Contact us

If you are interested in volunteering, or are a group or charity looking for volunteers, advice and guidance or training, please get in touch with the team – we look forward to hearing from you.