 Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise The VCFSE Alliance is a group made up of representatives from the VCFSE sector across Lancashire & South Cumbria Its purpose is to strengthen equitable, meaningful, and effective partnership working between the wider VCFSE sector, public sector, and health and care. The Alliance acts as a collective voice, ensuring that the sector’s insight, expertise, and community connections shape priorities across Lancashire and South Cumbria (LSC). Below are the key messages emerging from the LSC VCFSE Alliance. Updates & Activity
The Alliance hosts regular meetings for members, with bi-monthly in-person sessions held at The Salvation Army, The Citadel Centre in Blackpool, with online meetings in the months between for optional monthly drop-in sessions, with attendance from ICB colleagues. Alliance Meetings Full list of Alliance members The latest Alliance meeting took place in person on Friday 25 September in Blackpool. Two key outcomes from the meeting were: - Agreement to revive the Alliance Assembly, with planning underway for online and in-person meetings to strengthen engagement and connection with the wider VCFSE sector. Stay tuned for more updates. - Approval of the updated Terms of Reference, with the caveat that it remains subject to change as circumstances evolve. The updated Terms of Reference can be viewed on our website. Meeting Owl 4+ Available for hire The LSC VCFSE Alliance regularly hosts hybrid meetings and has recently purchased a Meeting Owl 4+ to help make them more inclusive and engaging for those attending remotely. We’re keen to make the equipment available to other organisations across Lancashire and South Cumbria. The Meeting Owl is available to hire for meetings, workshops and events, subject to availability, with collection from Preston. To find out more, please get in touch by emailing: [email protected] ‘Heart of the Neighbourhood’ Report How the church is providing essential services in every part of the country More than 100 leaders gathered in Westminster on Tuesday 8 September for the parliamentary launch of Gather Movement's "Heart of the Neighbourhood" report, presented at the Faith and Society All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). The report shares national mapping work revealing the scale and impact of churches and faith settings serving their local communities across the UK. Read more here In Lancashire, mapping has already been undertaken in three East Lancashire districts, with funding secured to carry out the work in the remaining nine districts. Gather Movement is now looking for volunteers who can commit 4–8 hours per week for three months to contact church and faith leaders and complete a short telephone survey with them. By investing a few hours each week, you'll play a significant part in helping churches become better connected, better recognised, and better equipped to serve their communities together. Renumeration: £13.45/hour If interested, please contact: Nathan Murray - Lancashire Regional Mapping Coordinator [email protected] | 07365803075 or Peter Lumsden - Lancashire Regional Connector for Gather [email protected] | 07929270753 Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Board VCFSE Representative The LSC VCFSE Alliance is seeking expressions of interest for a VCFSE representative on the Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Board. This is an opportunity to help ensure the voices of Lancashire's VCFSE sector are represented within strategic discussions about health, wellbeing and reducing health inequalities across the county. Interested applicants should complete the Expression of Interest Form by Friday 16 October. Find out more VCFSE Alliance Engagement with the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (LSC ICB) Tracy Hopkins, VCFSE Alliance Chair, attends the Lancashire and South Cumbria (LSC) Integrated Care Board (ICB) quarterly Board Meetings as a partner member The most recent ICB Board meeting took place on 17 September, and you can access the meeting papers and recording here. The next ICB Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday 5 November, 1-4pm Help shape the ICB’s refreshed organisational strategy Alex Heritage, Chief Strategy & Planning Officer, LSC ICB Alex attended the Alliance’s September meeting to engage with members, share early signals on future directions and discuss next steps. Members received an update on the strategy refresh, which is currently underway to reflect the changing role of the ICB. As part of this process, VCFSE organisations are invited to contribute their views and help shape future priorities. Read Alex’s message and find out how your organisation can get involved in the strategy refresh using the link below. Read the full message here Resources Close to Communities LSC VCFSE Alliance, Chair’s Blog - Tracy Hopkins “We want our system to be known for putting as much resource as close to communities as possible.” In this month’s Chair’s blog, Tracy reflects on a shared ambition for a health and care system that delivers better outcomes for local people and communities. The blog highlights the vital role of VCFSE organisations in prevention, early intervention and delivering better outcomes by ensuring support is available closer to where people live. Read the full blog here News highlights from across the sector These highlights only capture a small part of what’s happening across the sector. You can find additional sector news by connecting with your local VCFSE networks and subscribing to their newsletters. The LOCAL Project Hyndburn & Ribble Valley CVSBurnley, Pendle & Rossendale CVS Lancaster CVSWest Lancs CVSCommunity CVS The White Elephant in the Room - National Premiere Presented by the Co-Alc Alliance, A Documentary about Cocaethylene The national premiere of The White Elephant in the Room, a documentary produced by the Co-Alc Alliance, highlighting the hidden risks of mixing cocaine with alcohol and the emerging evidence linking cocaethylene to impulsive behaviour, mental distress and suicide risk. This screening provides an opportunity for partners from across public health, healthcare, local government, community safety, education, the voluntary sector and related services to: - Increase awareness of the harms associated with alcohol and cocaine use - Hear lived experience perspectives from families affected by these issues - Consider the implications for prevention, early intervention and support services - Take part in a facilitated discussion following the film Date: Monday 19 October 2026 Time: Doors open 5:30pm, screening starts at 6pm Location: Blackburn Empire Theatre Reserve your seatAbout | Co-Alc Alliance Strengthen your Cyber Defences with Police CyberAlarm A Home Office-Funded Policing Service, Available at no Cost A National Policing Service for organisations of all sizes. Whether protecting your own organisation or supporting clients, Police CyberAlarm provides vulnerability scanning and threat insights at no cost. It helps organisations identify cyber risk earlier, prioritise action and strengthen their defences, while contributing to the wider national policing picture of cyber threats. Police CyberAlarm has successfully completed the Home Office Cyber Security Governance, Risk and Compliance assurance process and remains subject to ongoing cyber security assurance and oversight. Members receive clear information to help them understand cyber risk, address vulnerabilities and strengthen their security. Relevant insights can also support policing activity to protect organisations and pursue cybercrime. Learn more North West VCFSE Operations Leads Network VSNW Join the second meeting of the North West VCFSE Operations Leads Network to connect with peers and help shape a new, collaborative space for operations leads and managers across the region. Date: Monday 5 October 2026 Time: 1pm - 2pm Location: Online via Microsoft Teams The network is a free space for VCFSE operations leads and managers across the North West, with colleagues from organisations of all sizes welcome. Register NowFind out more The Big Conversation on CareHelp shape the future of Social Care in Pennine Lancashire Nationally, the Government’s Big Conversation on Adult Social Care could influence how care and support are delivered for years to come. Locally, plans for a new Pennine Lancashire Council could bring responsibility closer to home. If you work in social care, health, local government, the voluntary sector, faith groups or support people in your community, these changes will affect you, your organisation and the people you serve. This event is your opportunity to: - Hear directly from senior leaders across health, social care and the voluntary sector - Understand what these changes could mean for Pennine Lancashire - Share your views and experiences - Help influence the conversation before decisions are made Too often, decisions are shaped without enough input from people delivering and receiving services and support communities every day. This is your chance to make sure your voice is heard. Date: Thursday 8 October Time: 10am - 3:15pm Location: Blackburn Cathedral To register your free place, email: [email protected] Find out more View the full event programme Midhurst Clinical Therapeutic Services (MCTS) Working with parents in proceedings - a trauma informed approach As part of their Social Enterprise commitment, MCTS offer a free monthly CPD (Continuing Professional Development) session for health and social care professionals and VCFSE workers, with a focus on therapeutic practice, attachment, trauma, neurodiversity, and social inclusion. These sessions are designed to support the professional growth of health and social care professionals and hopefully promote a more compassionate and inclusive system for the families we support. FREE to attend Date: Monday 21 September Time: 11:00 - 12:00 Location: Online Join Kate Portman, who will present a session on “Working with parents in proceedings - a trauma informed approach”. Sign Up Comments are closed.
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