Over the last 7 years Uttlesford Community Action Network (previously known as CVSU) has been on an exciting journey of growth and development, almost quadrupling income and significantly reshaping services to reflect changing needs in Uttlesford’s communities and the local voluntary and community sector.
As well as our continued support to build capacity in local voluntary and community sector organisations, UCAN has become a recognised local expert in asset-based community development. Through relationships with public sector commissioners (including Uttlesford District Council, Essex County Council and West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group) and a range of charitable funders, we have established a substantial and growing portfolio of projects for the benefit of local communities and the local voluntary sector. Through our expertise and unrivalled local knowledge, we have been instrumental in delivering local responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.
We have developed partnerships to deliver projects and services, that benefit Uttlesford, across wider geographical areas including West Essex Community Action Network (WECAN – in partnership with Rainbow Services Harlow and Voluntary Action Epping Forest) and cross-county working through ECVS
Over the next three years (2022-2025) our strategic aims are to:
- Be the “go-to” partner for local insight, knowledge and expertise, expanding our local intelligence gathering and research capability.
- Be a local third sector provider of choice for actions to champion and support the third sector in Uttlesford; improve health and well-being; and address inequalities and enhance social cohesion/resilience, growing further our portfolio of high-quality services and projects that meet community and sector needs.
- Further improve our sustainability and resilience as a charity.