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About Us

From the beginning

Founded in 1943, Barking and Dagenham Council for Voluntary Services (BDCVS) is a local infrastructure building charity and one of the oldest CVS’ in the country. A member of the National Association for Voluntary Action   and a trusted well-respected anchor institution we have a proud heritage supporting community action, social welfare and volunteering.

BDCVS champions local civil society. We provide practical support to voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise ‘VCSE Social Sector’ groups and organisations, that reflect the changing policy and funding environment in which they operate.

Nurturing active communities, so they can tackle inequality and affect change for greater social justice, has always been central to our work.   As the demographic profile of Barking & Dagenham diversifies, our role in supporting people and organisations fighting for inclusion is ever-evolving.

We collaborate with and work alongside other local infrastructure bodies in a fast-paced strategic partnership setting. This includes B&D council, the wider public sector, funders and more recently, the private sector and innovative new infrastructure enablers, such as BD GivingBD Collective.  We recognise the wellbeing of local people is impacted by a range of economic, social, health and educational factors. Only with our partners, can BDCVS support fairness and opportunity for all.  Therefore, our practical strategic focus is on the many thriving local networks to maintain momentum and become stronger in the challenging post-pandemic era.

We manage the Ripple Centre (Ripple Centre – Barking & Dagenham CVS (bdcvs.org.uk)), a thriving community hub and modern resource for all communities & groups. Our hall and meeting spaces are filled with community activities and events – from weddings to orchestras, after school play activity to conferences and training. Our versatile office space accommodates groups – large and small -focused on local delivery.

We have a formidable and long history of successful development and delivery work for and on behalf of the VCSE social sector. Our infrastructure development services are specifically targeted towards supporting and sustaining small VCSE social sector groups who reach deep into our diverse community.

2023 marks the 80th anniversary of BDCVS. BD Council for Voluntary Service retains a small committed staff team and a passionate volunteer cohort, led by an experienced Trustee Board.  In a rapidly changing economic, technological, social & climate change environment. our Trustees are looking forward to modernising our organisation as a beacon of best practice, continuing to focus on activities where we can have the most impact; and is fit for another 80 years.

We are the umbrella organisation for local voluntary and community organisations, social enterprises

Meet the Team

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