Are you passionate about mental health and wellbeing in our community?

Come along to a friendly and supportive meet-up where volunteers, community members, and wellbeing champions can:
✨ Share ideas that matter to you
✨ Swap experiences and best practices
✨ Connect with others who care about wellbeing
Explore new ways to work together locally
When: Wednesday, 28th January 2026
2:00–4:00pm
 CVS Centre
62–64 Yorkshire St, Burnley
This is a safe and welcoming space — whether you’re a seasoned volunteer, new to community work, or simply care deeply about wellbeing.

​Confirm your place now!
Fill in our quick form: https://forms.office.com/e/j09tC9pjih
Or scan the QR code on the poster to secure your spot.
Let’s build stronger wellbeing networks, share what works, and grow together 💛

Our latest Annual Impact Report is out now!
Covering the period of April 2024 to March 2025, you'll discover how many hundreds of groups and thousands of people across Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale have been supported by BPRCVS.
Click read more to check it out.

The Annual Impact Report will play below in the slideshow. You can pause it and control it as you like. If you'd like to download a copy, please see below.

The Annual Impact Report is sadly too large of a file to host on our website, but if you scan the QR code below you'll be able to download a copy from Google Drive.

The Cancer Awareness Ambassador project is looking for volunteers and work-based champions from hard-to-reach communities to help:

• Promote cancer awareness
• Encourage routine screening
• Support early action if someone is concerned about their health
• Funded by the Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance (Early Diagnosis Team) and coordinated by Spring North, the project takes a community-focused approach  delivering trusted, simple, and authentic messages via local champions to improve early diagnosis and screening rates.

What is a Cancer Awareness Ambassador?
A trained volunteer who:

• Shares cancer prevention messages in their community
  
• Encourages people to use screening services
  
• Supports early diagnosis and reduces stigma
  

Role & tasks include:

• Sharing informal cancer messaging, including at local events
  
• Raising awareness of early diagnosis importance
  
• Helping people understand signs and symptoms of cancer
  
• Providing peer or emotional support to overcome fears
  
• Signposting to GPs, Macmillan, Cancer Research UK, and other support
  
• Helping others overcome barriers to routine and symptomatic screening
  

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference in your community!
 Interested? Please contact: lisa.ross@bprcvs.co.uk or caroline.littleworth@bprcvs.co.uk

BPRCVS is delighted to announce the launch of Helping Hands Lottery, an exciting new fundraising initiative for good causes in our local communities. The lottery will be a great way for people to support local good causes and get the chance to win fabulous cash prizes!  

Click 'read more' to discover how to sign up for our upcoming launch event.​

Leading lottery management company, Gatherwell, has been appointed by BPRCVS to run the scheme, having already launched similar lotteries elsewhere. Leading lottery management company, Gatherwell, has been appointed by Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale CVS to operate the lottery, having successfully launched similar lotteries throughout the UK.

Nigel Atkinson, Gatherwell's General Manager, said: "We are delighted that Gatherwell has been awarded the opportunity to deliver Helping Hands Lottery. We're looking forward to working with BPRCVS to raise funds for many amazing good causes in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale”.

When the lottery launches in just a few weeks' time, people will be able to purchase tickets online and support the good cause of their choice. Tickets will cost £1 each. The weekly draw has a fantastic jackpot of £25,000, with other prizes being £2,000, £250 and £25. 
 
Local good causes will be able to register to raise funds through the Helping Hands Lottery and keep 50% from every ticket they sell. A further 10% from every ticket will go into a Central Fund that will be distributed to more good causes, with the remainder being put towards prizes, operating costs and VAT. It's a no risk option because it's absolutely free to set up! 

BPRCVS Chief Officer, Christine Blythe, said: “When I learnt about the possibilities with this community lottery scheme I was immediately interested. It has the potential to help so many of the hundreds of very small voluntary, community and faith sector groups that we as a Local Infrastructure Organisation exist to help. When the opportunity was presented to the CVS trustees who are all drawn from our member groups, they too saw the exciting opportunity and agreed to fund the development. Our strapline is ‘helping people to help others’ - hence the name for our lottery.

These groups right across our three districts do some amazing work with very little resource, supporting and helping many thousands of people in so many ways.  Funding is increasingly difficult to find and the demand on our sector is growing. This is a wonderful opportunity to support these groups in a different way and any income they receive through the community lottery scheme would provide unrestricted funding to help them do what they do so brilliantly well.

The money raised by Helping Hands Lottery is going to make a lot of difference to grassroots good causes. We'd encourage all charities and community groups to come to the Good Cause Launch Event and start fundraising with our lottery. It’s easy and completely free!”

Gatherwell are currently producing our lottery website where you can find out more and get involved which we expect to be ready in a couple of weeks.

How To Get Involved - Join The Launch Event

Good causes of all shapes and sizes are being encouraged to attend the virtual launch event of Helping Hands Lottery on 4th November at 11:30 a.m. for their chance to get a slice of the ticket proceeds.

If you are involved with a good cause that would like to find out more about risk and investment-free unrestricted fundraising with Helping Hands Lottery, you can register for the virtual Good Cause Launch Event here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/bprcvs/t-ldkaavy

Gatherwell will be joining us and explaining how it all works. You'll also have the opportunity to ask questions.
​
Following the event, groups and organisations will be able to complete their registration, and tickets for Helping Hands Lottery will go on sale via the dedicated website, www.helpinghandslottery.co.uk, on 18th November (website goes live on this date too) for our first draw on 6th December.

The BPRCVS Working Group is back for its second session! Join us on Thursday 23rd October, 10am – 12noon at The CVS Centre, Burnley.
​
We’ll be reviewing our monitoring and evaluation processes to make them simpler, easier, and more accessible for you and the people you support.

This is an in-person meeting – spaces are limited! RSVP now: katy.thornton@bprcvs.co.uk

Join BPRCVS Gannow Community Centre for a fun day out exploring independent shops, cafés, bars, the heritage visitor centre, and art gallery at the spectacular Piece Hall, Halifax.


​Date: Wednesday 22nd October
Leaving Gannow: 9:30 AM
Departing Halifax/Piece Hall: 3:30 PM
Transport only – minibus
Suggested donation: £11.50

 Book your spot:
Gannow Community Centre
CVS Centre, 62-64 Yorkshire St, Burnley BB11 3BT
📞 01282 412096
✉️ susan.cole@bprcvs.co.uk
Spaces are limited – book early to avoid disappointment!

Marking 90 Years of Service to Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale

In a world that has grown increasingly complex, uncertain, and at times fragmented, the role of community has taken on new weight.

For BPRCVS, community has never been a buzzword, but a bedrock principle. Over the last 90 years, from the Great Depression to the Digital Age, its commitment to grassroots care and collaboration has remained unchanged.

The 2010s were a decade of paradoxes. On one hand, we saw unprecedented technological advancement - smartphones in every pocket, instant access to global knowledge, social media bringing us closer (and sometimes further apart).

​On the other, many people across East Lancashire and beyond were experiencing a growing sense of disconnection, marginalisation, and economic strain.

Years of austerity measures had left deep cuts in public services. Youth centres closed. Libraries became quiet echoes of themselves. Mental health services were stretched to breaking point. For many, poverty was no longer a temporary condition, but a chronic state exacerbated by insecure work, food and housing insecurity.

It was in this climate that BPRCVS remained not only relevant, but vital. The organisation did what it had always done find the gaps and quietly, diligently fill them. It offered a warm welcome to the isolated, practical help to the struggling, and a route back to confidence for those who had fallen through society’s cracks.

What made BPRCVS different wasn’t just the range of services it offered it was the spirit in which they were delivered. In a decade defined by algorithms and automation, BPRCVS doubled down on what makes humans whole: conversation, connection, kindness. A car journey offered by a Communicars volunteer became a moment of companionship. A support session for young carers became a space where a child who carried the weight of the world could, for once, put it down.

The early 2020s brought with them a global reckoning. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how fragile many of our systems really were but it also reminded us how powerful local networks could be. While national headlines focused on case numbers and lockdowns, organisations like BPRCVS were delivering food parcels, conducting welfare checks, facilitating online workshops, and keeping spirits up. For the elderly person living alone in Padiham, the single mother shielding in Brierfield, the carer burnt out in Bacup BPRCVS was often the first knock on the door, or the only phone call that day.

Yet the organisation didn’t simply react it evolved. It embraced digital transformation, not as a replacement for human touch, but as a tool to extend its reach. Social media became a way to tell untold stories. Online referrals and Zoom consultations opened access for those who could not travel. And through it all, the person remained central.

Looking back across the long arc of history from the food queues of the 1930s, through the ration books of the 1940s, the rebuilding spirit of the 1950s, the social revolutions of the 1960s and 70s, and into the rapidly modernising decades that followed it becomes clear that BPRCVS has been more than an organisation.

​It has been a witness to history, and a participant in shaping it.

It has adapted to nationalisation, globalisation, digitalisation and still come back to the same truth: that the best answers often begin at the local level, among people who care enough to act.

As we stand in 2025, reflecting on 90 years of service, the phrase “helping people to help others” is not a slogan it’s a promise fulfilled time and time again. A promise made by the founders of the Burnley Citizens’ Guild in 1935, when they spoke of “personal service” and “civic responsibility.” A promise renewed in every volunteer’s act of kindness, every small group funded and mentored, every person whose life was made a little lighter because someone at BPRCVS picked up the phone, knocked on the door, or said: “We’re here to help.”
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And perhaps the most extraordinary thing? That this promise endures not in grand gestures, but in the quiet, daily work of keeping people connected, supported, and seen. It is in these small, persistent acts of care that real community is built not just once, but over and over again.

The BPRCVS Volunteer Centre has long been the beating heart of volunteering across Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale. From 2010 through the early 2020s, it has exemplified what it means to “help people to help others,” forging pathways for individuals to contribute, belong, and thrive within their communities. Over more than a decade, the Centre has quietly transformed lives, boosted local organisations, and generated substantial social and economic value often against the odds of austerity, shifting social landscapes, and most recently, a global pandemic.

Between 2014 and 2016 alone, the Volunteer Centre facilitated nearly 2,300 volunteer referrals, registered dozens of new organisations, and created hundreds of volunteering opportunities, reflecting a sustained and growing network that brought new energy to East Lancashire’s voluntary sector.
This work was anchored by dedicated staff whose focus went far beyond administration to building genuine relationships with volunteers and groups.
​
Outreach efforts flourished under this ethos, with the Centre regularly engaging the public in libraries, supermarkets, colleges, and job centre bringing volunteering into everyday spaces and inspiring new generations of volunteers. For example, freshers’ fairs consistently attracted dozens to the volunteering cause, while supermarket outreach in Colne and Haslingden reached hundreds with the message of community involvement.

The Centre also played a pivotal role in safeguarding and supporting volunteer-involving organisations. Over the years, it processed hundreds of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) applications 314 in 2016–17 alone and provided vital training on safeguarding, volunteer supervision, and specialised skills.

The 2015–16 training programme served over 230 learners, underscoring the Centre’s dedication to equipping volunteers and coordinators alike.

Volunteering roles coordinated through the Centre were both diverse and indispensable. Volunteer drivers alone contributed more than 7,000 hours annually in some years, facilitating vital transport for those isolated or with mobility challenges.

Administrative volunteers, connectors, activity helpers, and community café teams rounded out a wide spectrum of roles that powered local services and enriched lives. The sheer scale of this work was clear in economic terms as well: volunteer contributions added over £115,000 of value to the local economy by 2019–20, a figure that reflected both hours given and lives touched.

Annual celebrations such as National Volunteers Week became much-anticipated fixtures, fostering community pride and cross-sector collaboration. These events, held simultaneously in Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale, brought together dozens of organisations from health and social care groups to animal welfare charities and hundreds of local people, reinforcing the vibrant, interconnected nature of volunteering in the area.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges, forcing the Volunteer Centre to swiftly adapt to remote working and digital engagement.

Yet even amid lockdowns, the Centre remained a lifeline, coordinating welfare checks, online training, and volunteer support to ensure that isolated and vulnerable community members continued to receive care and connection. This adaptability reaffirmed BPRCVS’s foundational belief in meeting people where they are and offering practical, compassionate help.
Building on this legacy, BPRCVS launched its latest evolution in volunteering support: the Volunteering for Wellbeing & Community Hub in July 2023.

This new initiative revitalises the spirit and function of the Volunteer Centre by providing a brokerage service that connects individuals with volunteering opportunities across the voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) sectors throughout Lancashire.
In its first three quarters, the Hub recruited 40 new volunteers into BPRCVS projects and services and supported 34 unique groups and organisations with their volunteering needs.

The Hub goes beyond recruitment by actively engaging the community through monthly forums that focus on different themes relevant to volunteering. These informal gatherings foster conversation, share best practice, and keep volunteering a current and evolving conversation in the local area.

Importantly, BPRCVS was among the very first organisations awarded the new National Association of Community and Voluntary Action’s (NAVCA) Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation kite mark, solidifying its position as the only externally accredited Volunteer Centre in East Lancashire. The original Centre’s and now the Hub’s commitment is not just to volume but to quality, evidenced by its consistent achievement of the Volunteer Quality Accreditation (VCQA) for outstanding practice in volunteer management a distinction BPRCVS proudly continues to hold.

Volunteers remain integral not only to community-facing projects but also to the daily operations of BPRCVS itself. From reception and administrative roles contributing over 2,000 hours annually, to cooking and serving meals in the Gannow Community Café (3,552 hours), managing Foodshare (612 hours), tending the Community Garden (1,152 hours), and supporting events and premises upkeep, volunteers underpin the organisation’s heartbeat. Collectively, these efforts represent over 7,400 hours of dedicated service each year, equating to nearly £77,400 of added economic value to the local community.

This sustained volunteer input mirrors the enduring ethos of BPRCVS: that community isn’t built by institutions alone, but by individuals who choose to give their time, skills, and care. As one volunteer shared recently, “I started volunteering here because I wanted to help others, but what I gained was a sense of family and belonging.”

Reflecting back over the years from the formation of Burnley Citizens’ Guild, the BPRCVS Volunteer Centre and now the Volunteering for Wellbeing & Community Hub illustrate the power of connection between people, organisations, and purpose. They show how thoughtful, strategic support for volunteering creates ripples far beyond the individual hours given, strengthening the social fabric of East Lancashire and reaffirming the promise at the heart of BPRCVS: that through kindness and commitment, real community can always be built, sustained, and renewed.
​

Another vital thread in the BPRCVS tapestry is the long-standing support for unpaid carers adults and children alike whose hidden efforts have kept families afloat in times of illness, disability, and mental distress. From 2010 to 2025, carer support evolved significantly within the organisation, not just in name or structure, but in scope, delivery, and response to local and national pressures.
In the early 2010s, support was delivered through what was then known as Carers Contact, a vibrant and far-reaching programme that offered everything from one-to-one advocacy to wellbeing groups, replacement care, pamper days, peer support, and vital emotional space. Thousands of carers registered with the service across Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale, with 781 new carers identified in a single year at its height. The initiative helped carers develop Peace of Mind contingency plans, access “Time for Me” grant-funded breaks, and engage in support groups like the Grub Club, Café 23, and Creative Carers, which provided opportunities to reconnect with others and themselves.
The true power of this work lay not in its scale, but in its intimacy. For many, it was the first time their role as carer had been recognised not just as a functional title, but as a source of emotional and physical strain. One carer wrote: “This was the first time for ages that I could get out without my ‘cared for.’ I had no timetable to stick to and only had myself to think about. Very much a break for me.”
Equally transformative was the work undertaken with young carers. These were children, some as young as seven, who were helping to care for family members with chronic illness, mental health issues, or addiction. The support they received creative workshops, time-out sessions, confidence-building courses, buddy-up groups, and residential breaks wasn’t just respite; it was restoration. A young person wrote simply: “I feel less angry.” Another, more poignantly, said: “Young Carers makes me feel like I’m not weird for helping my mum I’m not alone.”
The team behind this work operated with a rare mix of compassion, humour, and professionalism. Across hundreds of group sessions and one-to-one visits, the service not only supported but championed the carers it served ensuring their voices shaped local policy, their needs informed public health strategies, and their day-to-day lives felt less invisible.

Over the years, carers and young carers were featured in national campaigns, created DVDs and newsletters, starred in spoken-word performances, and helped design outcome tools still in use today. Seasonal events, such as the Christmas trips, wellbeing retreats, and summer holiday programmes, became annual lifelines.
But change came, as it always does. By 2014, structural funding changes meant BPRCVS no longer delivered the Carers Contact programme in its original form. Yet the commitment to carers never disappeared it simply adapted. The work with young carers
was integrated into broader wellbeing initiatives, and adult carers increasingly found support through BPRCVS’s other strands of delivery, including Social Prescribing, Volunteering for Wellbeing, and Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing programmes. What had once been separate strands became part of a unified approach to wraparound care.
This evolution culminated in the development of the Health & Wellbeing for Children & Families programme a modern continuation of that early vision. It brought together years of learning to support children and young people facing a wide spectrum of challenges, including those with caring responsibilities. Activities continued during holidays, offering everything from sports and crafts to confidence-building experiences and family trips.
Yet the pressures of the 2020s rising demand, limited resources, and increasing levels of family distress have brought fresh challenges.

By 2024, referrals had soared, and despite its success and popularity, the programme faced a funding shortfall. BPRCVS Trustees had funded the service from reserves for years. This could not continue. In a difficult but transparent decision, BPRCVS paused referrals from Pendle East, Burnley and Rossendale, with hopes to resume in the near future. All planned summer and October half-term activities continue, though services have been paused until funding can be sourced.
This pause is not an ending it’s a moment of reflection and resilience. The team remains in close contact with families and young people, continuing to offer what they can and advocating for new investment.

They have openly asked for testimonials to strengthen funding bids a reminder that the stories of those helped are the most powerful tools in shaping the future. As one carer once wrote in their feedback: “I have found an organisation that can offer me support.” That sentiment remains the beacon that drives BPRCVS forward.


Over the course of 15 years, the organisation’s carer support has been about far more than trips, grants, or activities. It has been about recognition. It has been about seeing those who are too often overlooked, hearing those who don’t ask for help, and offering dignity, respect, and care in return. Though names may change and contracts come and go, that fundamental purpose endures: to recognise the unrecognised, and to remind every carer, adult, child, or those in between, that their work and their wellbeing matters.

From 2010 through 2025, Communicars has remained one of the most trusted, enduring, and quietly transformative services delivered by BPRCVS. A volunteer-led transport scheme for elderly, disabled, and socially isolated people, it has never just been about getting from A to B it’s been about connection, dignity, and community.

As conventional public transport options declined and isolation grew particularly among older adults Communicars offered a lifeline.

The model was simple: volunteer drivers used their own vehicles to take passengers to medical appointments, social activities, shopping trips, and essential errands.

But the impact was profound. For many passengers, these journeys were their only social interaction of the week. A friendly face, a helping hand, and a consistent presence made all the difference.

By 2011, the scheme was already making thousands of trips a year, with over 12,000 single passenger journeys completed between April 2011 and March 2012.

Even when local policy changes, such as reduced concession rates, created uncertainty, Communicars held firm. Staff attended regional meetings, responded to consultations, and advocated fiercely to protect the service for those who relied on it.

Over the years, the scheme weathered changes in funding and structure, always adapting but never compromising its values.
Between 2010 and 2025, Communicars covered tens of thousands of miles, supported hundreds of passengers, and was powered by dozens of volunteer drivers. In 2018–19 alone, volunteers completed 15,659 single trips. In 2022–23, they made 6,954 journeys across Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, covering 16,229 miles and contributing 3,487 hours of unpaid time equating to over £36,000 in economic value to the local area.

Yet the real value lies in the people. PB, a long-term passenger, joined the scheme in 2008 when she could no longer access buses. With Communicars, she could attend lunch clubs, keep doctor and dentist appointments, and visit family again. “It helps me to stay active,” she said, “and being able to socialise is a bonus.” Another story comes from MH, whose late wife was a Communicars user.

After she passed, MH became a volunteer driver himself giving back to the scheme that had supported them. “It makes me feel good,” he said, “I’m helping people who wouldn’t be able to get out otherwise.”

The continuity and warmth of the service has always been driven by its staff. Their encyclopaedic knowledge of the service, her compassion for each passenger and driver, and calm, persistent leadership have guided Communicars through both growth and uncertainty.
Volunteer drivers are recruited, trained, supported, acknowledged and thanked throughout the year.
These volunteers become more than transport providers; they become companions, listeners, and trusted faces. Many passengers request specific drivers, having built long-standing friendships over years of rides and conversations.

Even during difficult periods like the COVID-19 pandemic Communicars adapted quickly, ensuring safe protocols and continuing to support those most in need. Thanks to funding from Children in Need the addition of a 15-seater minibus in recent years, has enabled expansion of the offer, enabling group children’s and adults’ trips and community outings that reduce isolation even further.

In 2025, Communicars remains a flagship programme for BPRCVS not because it is the biggest or loudest, but because it is deeply human. It continues to make an enormous difference to people's daily lives, often quietly, always meaningfully.
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The service isn’t just about transport. It’s about restoring freedom, offering companionship, and making sure that no one in our community is left behind. Communicars continues to lift lives one journey at a time, turning miles into smiles by giving the gift of a lift.

The East Lancashire Voluntary Sector Resource Centre, which BPRCVS had fought so hard to bring to life in the late 1990s, became far more than a headquarters. It evolved into a sanctuary of partnership, resilience, and purpose a true physical embodiment of
what the organisation has always stood for: community empowerment through shared infrastructure.

The building’s journey from concept to cornerstone was itself a testament to perseverance.
Amid growing recognition in the 1990s that the voluntary and community sector lacked secure, affordable, and centralised space, BPRCVS championed the creation of a multi-use hub one that would serve not only its own expanding work, but the wider needs of the sector across Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale. Its development marked a turning point in the relationship between the sector and the public realm: no longer would community organisations be relegated to borrowed corners and temporary offices. Here was a home built for them.


By the mid-2010s, the Centre had become a beating heart of community activity.
The building was alive with purpose. On any given day, you might pass a carers’ group meeting in one room, a trustees' board training in another, and a food poverty strategy session down the hall.
BPRCVS had worked intentionally to build not just a tenancy list, but a collaborative system: housing projects, youth charities, carers' services, mental health organisations, refugee support groups, environmental campaigns, and ethnic minority-led initiatives all coexisted under one roof.

The Centre wasn’t simply about occupancy it was about co-location with impact. Groups shared ideas, shared funding applications, shared printers and coffee but more importantly, they shared purpose. The architecture of the building was matched by a shared architecture of trust. Many tenants were supported not just with space, but with access to BPRCVS’s broader services: DBS checks, volunteer management, funding advice, and capacity-building.
Some were new initiatives, given space to grow. Others were longstanding groups who had finally found stability.

Crucially, the Resource Centre modelled how physical space when co-ordinated and resourced properly could become a catalyst for civic strength.
Local authority departments visited regularly. Regional funders held listening events and briefings in its meeting rooms. It became common for statutory and voluntary organisations to meet on neutral ground in the Centre, recognising it as a shared site of knowledge and accountability.

Over the years, the building hosted countless moments that changed lives: the launch of new mental health support programmes; emergency partnership meetings in response to austerity and later the pandemic; welfare hubs during cost-of-living spikes; and the welcoming of new migrants and asylum seekers to East Lancashire. Community groups ran their first AGMs here. Small charities moved in as two-person operations and left as established regional players.
And throughout it all, BPRCVS maintained the vision that space should enable not extract from those working for social good.

During the pandemic years, the Centre became an anchor in the chaos.
Though the building had to adapt to social distancing, hybrid working, and restricted public access, it remained operational and relevant. Staff worked to coordinate volunteer deliveries. Emergency funding briefings were held via Teams from its offices. As restrictions eased, it once again welcomed groups that had lost their venues or had become disconnected from their networks.

In the 2020s, as the demand for locally rooted community support surged again driven by health inequalities, social isolation, digital exclusion, and housing insecurity the importance of the Centre only grew. The building was never flashy, but it was deeply functional, flexible, and welcoming. It offered rooms where relationships could be built, voices could be heard, and strategies could be shaped and still does.

By 2025, the East Lancashire Voluntary Sector Resource Centre stands as more than a physical location it is an institution.

A space that holds the stories, partnerships, and solutions of hundreds of groups and thousands of people over nearly three decades.

It remains the hub from which BPRCVS coordinates its own vital work: from volunteering and group support to social prescribing and community transport. But it is also the platform upon which so many others have built their own paths.
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In an era of rising rents, shrinking office space, and creeping commercialisation of community infrastructure, BPRCVS has never lost sight of the principle that space is a right, not a luxury especially for groups delivering social value and thanks to that vision, the Resource Centre continues to offer not just square footage, but belonging.

Since its acquisition in 2017 by BPRCVS, with the support of Gannow Big Local, Gannow Community Centre has grown into a dynamic hub of activity and support for the Burnley community.

Nestled in the heart of the Gannow ward, the Centre has consistently exemplified the very ethos of BPRCVS: enabling grassroots community action, reducing isolation, and supporting local people to flourish through practical, inclusive initiatives.

Over the last decade and a half, Gannow has become a key delivery site for BPRCVS’s community outreach, providing everything from volunteer opportunities and family-focused services to a thriving food share and community café programme.

Early on, Gannow Community Centre quickly established itself as more than just a building. The number of room bookings and the sheer diversity of services it hosted steadily increased.
The Centre provided space for a growing portfolio of VCFSE-led activities and services. These included mental health support groups, youth programmes, training sessions, fitness classes, and advice surgeries run by Citizens Advice and legal professionals.

The Centre attracted over 12,366 visitors in 2022/23 alone, highlighting its importance as a place for connection and opportunity. With 17 regular volunteers giving over 3,500 hours of their time in just one year, the human effort behind Gannow’s success cannot be overstated. Dedicated volunteers have all helped shape the Centre’s story not only by providing services, but by cultivating a warm, welcoming environment that is truly community-led.

A significant element of Gannow's evolution has been the deep-rooted collaboration with Gannow Big Local, a £1 million community-led initiative that sought to improve the lives of local residents through grassroots action.

Since its formation in 2013, the partnership funded over 71 local projects and invested heavily in young people, infrastructure, and family services. With BPRCVS as the Locally Trusted Organisation, the programme catalysed transformation in the area, even helping to reduce anti-social behaviour to zero within six months at one point. By 2024, the programme had come to an end, with a legacy event held to honour its achievements and acknowledge the volunteers who had strived so hard over the years to offer support, opportunity and activities to the people of Gannow and beyond.

Emerging initially as a small-scale support project, the Gannow Food Share programme has since become one of the Centre’s most vital lifelines. Operating with the help of national and local retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Greggs, and Bookers and fuelled by community generosity, the initiative has directly addressed rising food insecurity in Burnley. Over the years, Food Share grew in scale and scope, helping individuals and families weather the dual storms of the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.


Between 2020 and 2023, the programme consistently delivered thousands of food bags annually. In 2022/23 alone, it provided 2,571 food bags, supporting 1,299 individuals and 527 families.

Volunteers played a central role, not just in logistics but in creating a dignified and human-centred experience for those in need. Donations from local organisations such as the Pendleside Soroptimists added an additional layer of sustainability to the service, offering female hygiene products and other essentials that often go overlooked in mainstream food aid.
One anonymous donor, once helped by the programme, now gives back every Monday; a poignant symbol of the reciprocal spirit at the heart of the Gannow Centre’s operations.
Running every Wednesday and Friday morning, the Gannow Community Café became a beacon of hospitality and warmth. Its appeal went beyond affordable meals which included full English breakfasts, light lunches, and weekly specials for a suggested donation of just £2 and instead resided in its welcoming atmosphere, created by a tight-knit team of volunteer kitchen staff. Whether local residents, workers passing through, or VCFSE staff in the area, diners found more than just food they found community.

From a modest beginning offering soup and sandwiches on Wednesday lunchtimes during the winter of 2016 to serving 411 meals in 2018/19, the café grew rapidly. In 2021/22 it saw a 426% increase, serving 2,165 meals to 2,207 diners. In 2022/23, it surpassed this again with 2,636 meals served, continuing to address not only hunger, but loneliness and social disconnection. It has become a routine part of life for many Gannow residents and a symbol of what can be achieved when local people lead with compassion.

The Centre’s outdoor space also flourished over this period, transformed into a vibrant community garden. Volunteers, Community Payback, the Prince’s Trust, and local children from the Active Gannow project helped create raised beds, plant trees, and
maintain flowerbeds. The garden has been a key site for horticulture training, youth engagement, and mental wellbeing.
Its transformation included a creative touch bird feeders made by a local artist using felled ash trees symbolising renewal and resilience.
It was also chosen as one of Burnley’s memorial sites for lives lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a cherry blossom tree planted in the grounds as a lasting tribute.
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From regular Volunteer Thank You Breakfasts to Children In Need fundraisers, Macmillan Coffee Mornings, legal and debt advice drop-ins, and the annual Gannow Christmas Cracker, the Centre became a platform for celebration, remembrance, and practical support. In 2021, it even hosted Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner, who praised the Centre’s efforts through the pandemic.

Throughout Gannow Community Centre’s evolution BPRCVS has never lost sight of the vital part the centre plays in the community. A meeting place, a hub for support and for some, a lifeline, the centre continues to evolve and meet the needs of the local community.

The COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022) was a watershed moment not just for public health, but for the very fabric of everyday life. Across Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale as across the UK lockdowns brought daily routines to a halt. Isolation surged. Services disappeared overnight. Fear was palpable. But while national systems faltered under the weight of the crisis, BPRCVS did what it has always done: convene, connect, and care.
When the first lockdown began in March 2020, BPRCVS acted immediately. Within days, the organisation pivoted into a local emergency hub. Traditional roles were suspended, new partnerships were formed, and the building itself became a command centre for emergency community response. Staff were redeployed, not laid off or furloughed.

Volunteers were rapidly mobilised. Every team transport, carers, children and families, mental health, volunteering stepped forward with flexibility and resolve.
Coordinating with local councils, health partners, and dozens of grassroots groups, BPRCVS became a vital link in the borough’s COVID infrastructure. At the height of the crisis, the organisation oversaw:
· Thousands of emergency food parcels delivered to shielding and vulnerable residents;
· Prescription runs and essential shopping deliveries through Communicars and the volunteer transport network;
· Welfare checks by phone and doorstep, reaching elderly and isolated residents who had no digital access;
· Digital support, including device loans and training, to help people access online appointments, benefits, and family contact;
· Rapid volunteer recruitment, vetting and deployment across multiple roles, from drivers and befriending callers to COVID marshals and vaccination stewards.

​Rather than retract in crisis, BPRCVS expanded. Where some services had to close doors, BPRCVS opened new pathways. Social prescribing link workers shifted from face-to-face appointments to telephone triage. Volunteer Centre staff developed virtual induction and safeguarding session
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Zoom support groups were set up for carers, parents, and people living with anxiety helping them stay connected at a time of deep uncertainty.
Behind the scenes, staff were working extraordinary hours, often from home, many while managing their own emotions, health as well as family health and caring responsibilities.

From coordinating crisis funding to setting up emergency DBS checks, the pace was relentless but so was the organisation’s determination to be useful, effective, and compassionate.


Crucially, BPRCVS also became a trusted communicator. With misinformation rife and many people unsure where to turn, the organisation provided clear, trusted, local information on social media, through emails, and via direct calls.


The organisation worked with public health leads to distribute culturally sensitive messaging across ethnic minority communities, ensuring no one was left behind in the scramble for safety and clarity.
Even as lockdowns eased and the vaccine rollout began, BPRCVS maintained momentum.

Staff supported community vaccination efforts, helped vulnerable people register for jabs, and coordinated volunteers at vaccine centres.


They ensured that those left behind by digital registration systems especially older adults and people with language barriers were not excluded.

By the end of 2022, it was clear that the organisation’s pandemic response had not only helped thousands it had strengthened trust, deepened partnerships, and elevated the role of the voluntary sector in emergency planning.

BPRCVS was recognised not just as a delivery partner, but as a strategic one. Its ability to mobilise, adapt, and lead demonstrated the true value of local infrastructure in national emergencies.


Importantly, the pandemic did not interrupt BPRCVS’s core mission. It simply re-routed its energy away from project silos and toward a collective emergency ethos. The crisis tested every system, but it proved something vital: that BPRCVS is not just a provider of services. It is a custodian of community resilience.


Now, in 2025, the memory of that time remains raw for many. But it also remains instructive. The lessons learned about flexibility, local knowledge, and compassion-led delivery continue to shape how the organisation works today. From hybrid service models to greater digital inclusion, BPRCVS has emerged not only intact, but strengthened.


In a time when everything stood still, BPRCVS kept moving and in doing so, it reminded us all what community truly means.

Throughout the 2010s and early 2020s, BPRCVS evolved not just as a delivery organisation but as a strategic player a trusted intermediary and a steady voice in regional policy. This shift didn’t happen overnight.


It was the result of decades of consistent, grounded community engagement, coupled with a willingness to collaborate, innovate, and challenge when necessary.

As statutory systems grew more complex, and the voluntary sector increasingly found itself under pressure, BPRCVS leaned into a more assertive civic role: amplifying unheard voices, shaping local priorities, and securing vital funding for community-led responses.
The organisation’s participation in local governance forums deepened throughout the decade. BPRCVS played an active role in shaping neighbourhood-level consultations, influencing health and wellbeing strategies, and co-producing responses to poverty, housing, and inequality. This influence was not theoretical it was practical, drawn from the lived experience of the Trustees, staff, volunteers and the communities BPRCVS served every day.
Key moments in this strategic evolution included the organisation’s involvement in community asset transfers, where BPRCVS acted as both facilitator and advocate. It worked closely with local authorities and grassroots groups to ensure that community buildings many of which were at risk of closure or commercialisation could be retained, repurposed, and reinvigorated as spaces for social good.

In doing so, BPRCVS helped sustain the physical and symbolic infrastructure of local civic life.
At the same time, BPRCVS became increasingly recognised as a channel for place-based funding. With small organisations often lacking the capacity to apply for and administer complex funding streams, BPRCVS stepped forward as a trusted grant administrator and accountable body. It not only distributed resources it ensured those resources were fair, timely, and targeted to where they could make the most difference.
In doing so, it helped build capacity within smaller groups, allowing them to deliver innovative projects without becoming lost in bureaucracy.
The formation of Burnley Together in 2020 was a defining moment for this role. As part of the multi-agency COVID response and recovery structure, BPRCVS was a founding partner helping shape a coordinated, cross-sector model of support.

Burnley Together brought together local government, health, housing, and voluntary sector partners under a single umbrella. BPRCVS’s involvement ensured that the voice of the sector, and the needs of the community, remained central. It wasn’t just a seat at the table it was an active hand on the steering wheel.
Similarly, the organisation’s ongoing role within Integrated Care Systems (ICS) and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) throughout the 2020s reflects its credibility at the regional level. As the NHS moved toward more place-based planning, BPRCVS ensured that voluntary and community sector insight particularly from marginalised and underserved groups was part of the conversation. Staff contributed to working groups, health equity forums, and collaborative care pathway design.

BPRCVS was consistently described by partners as “measured, inclusive, and solutions-focused” not simply raising problems, but bringing the relationships and insight needed to address them.


This commitment to cross-sector working also extended into policy advocacy. BPRCVS regularly contributed to consultations on welfare reform, volunteering policy, mental health provision, and the future of community infrastructure. It provided real-world case studies, facilitated community voice events, and supported partners in responding collectively to changes in commissioning and public health funding.

Importantly, BPRCVS was often the bridge between communities and councils, between local ideas and national programmes, between small groups and large institutions. This intermediary role was characterised not just by its technical skill, but by a tone of fairness, diplomacy, and quiet strength.

​

The organisation never sought attention but it earned respect. By 2025, BPRCVS had become not just a provider of services, but a shaper of systems. It had helped anchor the local sector in turbulent times and continued to speak out for the importance of infrastructure, investment, and inclusion. In a national climate where many voluntary sector organisations felt marginalised or tokenised, BPRCVS’s example stood out: calm, collaborative, and always grounded in its mission.

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Through every strategic shift, one value remained constant: authentic representation. When BPRCVS spoke in policy spaces, it did so from the perspective of communities it knew intimately not as abstract beneficiaries, but as neighbours, volunteers, partners, and peers. This grounded credibility made BPRCVS not only a valued partner but an essential one.

In reaching 2025, we arrive not merely at the end of an article or a timeline, but at a profound juncture in the life of BPRCVS, a point of reflection earned through ninety years of lived service.

It is tempting in such moments to view history as something sealed: a collection of milestones neatly ordered. But BPRCVS has never been a static institution. It is not frozen in time. Its legacy is dynamic, evolving, and above all else, deeply human. What follows is not a conclusion in the final sense, but a deeper understanding of what this organisation has become and why its work remains vital, now more than ever.

From its genesis in 1935 as the Burnley Citizens' Guild, born during the long shadow of the Great Depression and the battle of Battle of the Somme, BPRCVS emerged in response to rising unemployment, hardship, and fractured communities.

Its founders envisioned not just charity, but civic responsibility. They saw a need to organise neighbourly care into lasting systems an effort to empower local people to help one another, regardless of class, faith, or political persuasion. These ideals, radical in their own quiet way, were shaped by the harsh context of the interwar period and the spirit of mutual aid.
During the 1940s, as Britain was thrust into the upheaval of global war, the voluntary impulse did not falter.

In fact, it grew stronger. Wartime welfare committees, Red Cross mobilisation, and ration-book mutualism brought voluntary service into the national conscience. In Burnley and across East Lancashire, civic groups, women's auxiliaries, and informal care networks continued to operate under duress. BPRCVS and its predecessors remained responsive, flexible, and in close contact with community need. It was in these years that the principle of “serving the overlooked and undervalued” became a defining thread of the organisation’s identity.

The 1950s brought a shift from wartime resilience to peacetime rebuilding.
This was the era of the new welfare state, of nationalised health care, education, and housing. Many assumed that voluntary action would wither away under the shadow of state provision. But instead, BPRCVS adapted, offering complementary, holistic support rather than duplication. The newly created Friendly Visiting Scheme and legal aid sessions for those falling through the gaps were early examples of the organisation’s unique role: responding where systems couldn’t reach, and speaking for those who lacked a voice.

As social currents transformed during the 1960s and 70s with deindustrialisation, youth rebellion, second-wave feminism, and growing ethnic diversity BPRCVS again stood ready. It was during this period that the organisation became explicitly multi-agency and multi-issue. Youth unemployment, urban decline, mental health stigma, and racial inequality demanded holistic approaches.

Under the unwavering leadership of Dorothy Lowe (Chief Officer of the 80s and 90s) BPRCVS pioneered community centres, launched volunteer bureaus, and worked in partnership with grassroots groups long before “co-production” became a funding buzzword.


By the 1980s, amid Thatcherism, mass unemployment, and local authority retrenchment, the organisation once again demonstrated its capacity for resilience and innovation.
It secured funding for enterprise support, bolstered legal rights awareness, and formalised its infrastructure services to strengthen the capacity of the entire voluntary sector in Burnle, Pendle and Rossendale. It was during this time that the identity of BPRCVS shifted from simply doing good to enabling others to do good sustainably a critical transition that underpins its present-day brokerage role.


The 1990s and early 2000s, under the guiding hand of Terry Hephrun (Chief Officer of the late 90s and 00s) saw the rise of policy-led collaboration, New Labour investment in social capital, and growing professionalisation of the sector. Here, BPRCVS expanded with purpose: launching the East Lancashire Voluntary Sector Resource Centre, developing back-office support for charities, hosting national pilots for volunteer management, and supporting a wave of self-help and identity-based groups. Crucially, this was the era of space of giving groups not just funding advice, but physical homes, infrastructure, and shared systems. This model of embedded support remains one of the organisation’s most powerful legacies.


The financial crisis of 2008 and the decade of austerity that followed marked yet another period of existential challenge. By the 2010s, libraries, youth centres, and community facilities were closing across East Lancashire. Yet under the steady and confident leadership of Christine Blythe (Chief Executive Officer 2010s to present), BPRCVS stood firm, anchoring services like Communicars, Carers Contact, and the Volunteer Centre even as statutory partners downsized or disappeared. The work became harder, the funding scarcer but the impact deeper. What made BPRCVS different was not scale, but soul: a capacity to listen, adapt, and meet people where they were.

Then came the pandemic.
The COVID-19 years (2020–2022) were a defining crucible. As explored in this part of our series of articles, this was the moment when everything the organisation had built was tested and everything it stood for was proven.

In days, not months, BPRCVS reconfigured itself into a local emergency hub. While others paused, it surged. Volunteer drivers became lifelines. Social prescribing workers shifted to digital triage. Group support officers became crisis navigators. Every role flexed to meet the scale of human need. And when the dust settled, the organisation didn’t retreat it evolved.
Indeed, the 2020s have seen BPRCVS step more confidently into systems leadership. Its work in the Integrated Care System, its role in Burnley Together, and its stewardship of place-based funding show a voluntary sector body that no longer sits on the margins.


BPRCVS has become an intermediary a trusted translator between grassroots experience and policy ambition. It retains its humility, but not its invisibility.


And yet, through all these decades, through world wars, political shifts, economic cycles, and a global pandemic, the fundamentals have never changed.
· Service before recognition
· People before process
· Relationships before results
· Care before contract
This is the BPRCVS model. Not one of bureaucracy, but of belief.

As we look to the future towards digital divides, environmental justice, intergenerational inequality, and an ever-more fragile welfare state, the voluntary sector will once again be called upon to lead with values, not just outcomes. BPRCVS is already showing what that looks like.
So this is not the end. It is a point of continuity through change.

And in this, BPRCVS is not just an organisation. It is a memory held in the community. It is the story of a young carer who felt seen. A retired man who drove neighbours to chemotherapy. A refugee who found English classes and friendship. A local group that survived because someone picked up the phone and said, “Let’s sort this.”

This, then, is the enduring message of 90 years:
That resilience is relational. That community is an action. And that helping people to help others isn’t just a phrase on a logo it is a philosophy with roots, wings, and a future.
​
As this chapter closes, let the next begin with the same question that launched it all back in 1935: “How can we help?”

Support Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service (BPRCVS) without spending an extra penny!
​
When you shop online for groceries, gifts, clothes, or even book a holiday, over 8,000+ retailers – including Tesco, M&S, John Lewis, eBay, Argos, ASOS, Booking.com and more – will donate to BPRCVS for FREE through easyfundraising.

How It Works:

1. Sign up for free on Easyfundraising
2. Shop online as normal at your favourite retailers
3. Retailers donate to BPRCVS automatically – it costs you nothing

Special 2-Week Bonus!

​For a limited 2-week period, if 10 supporters sign up, BPRCVS will receive a £15 bonus. The more people who join, the more bonus funding we unlock!
📌 Sign up now and start raising free donations today:
Join Easyfundraising for BPRCVS
Every click counts! Share with friends and family – the more who sign up, the closer we get to reaching our bonus and supporting our local community projects.

Our aim is to create an enabling environment and allow for the portability of volunteers across organisations within the place, with free and accessible training and tool kits developed specifically for Lancashire volunteers and managers. Pull together as a partnership to listen and be heard, develop new relationships and encourage a thriving volunteer sector in Lancashire.


We will also be aiming to test these newly developed models of volunteering within our communities to ensure they work for you. Our monthly forum is for all sizes of VCFSE and infrastructure organisations. 

Our long-term aim is to support what is already flourishing and develop areas where the volunteer agenda needs support.

We do understand how busy you are and if you cannot make our monthly forum but wish to be kept up to date, then please continue to our booking system, fill out your details and click the corresponding field, and we will add you to our mailing list.

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You can book on now at: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/FAUJ or via our QR code

​During August we will be hosting a Free certified course around creating a space for decision making through wellbeing. It starts at 9am on Friday 1st August for 4 weeks at 62-64 Yorkshire St.

​We will be looking to help Burnley residents to feel more confident, creative and understand their potential. Creating a vision for future aspirations through looking at how this process is developed by others. Mapping personal challenges and confidence building to inspire the world our residents live in. 

Sessions are 9am-12 noon for 4 weeks, and you are expected to attend all sessions. 

It is open to Burnley residents age 16+ who are not in employment. Ideal for volunteers, carers, and students who are looking to move on to their next steps.

After the course there is the option of further support around employment, training, social support, volunteering and more.
 
Free refreshments and a certificate of completion. 
Simple sign up with just a name/ email or phone number, and a Burnley postcode.
We need to see a form of ID on the 1st session (birth certificate/ passport/ drivers' licence/ leave to remain). If you don't have Id please talk to us, it doesn't need to be a barrier. 

To book a place contact Lisa Ross, 01282 433740 lisa.ross@bprcvs.co.uk 

The early 21st century posed no shortage of challenges: rising levels of hidden homelessness, overstretched health services, a growing population of unpaid carers, and young people burdened by responsibilities far beyond their years.

But for every challenge, BPRCVS found an answer rooted in collaboration, innovation, and a profound belief in the power of people helping people.

From a new headquarters in the heart of Burnley to the expansion of life changing initiatives like Carers Contact, the Volunteer Centre, and Communicars, the first decade of the 2000s would see BPRCVS evolve into not only a provider of services but a vital strategic player in the fabric of East Lancashire.
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More than just a legacy organisation, it became a hub of hope where ideas were nurtured, grassroots voices were amplified, and real lives were quietly transformed.

The 2000s were a defining decade for Britain’s voluntary and community sector. Across the country, charities were no longer seen merely as compassionate auxiliaries to the state they were increasingly expected to play a central role in shaping and delivering public services.
Under Tony Blair’s New Labour government, the rhetoric of the “third sector” became mainstream, positioning charities as equal partners in tackling social exclusion, improving health outcomes, and regenerating deprived communities. With this new status, however, came intensified scrutiny and new complexities.

The introduction of the Charities Act 2006 marked one of the most significant overhauls in charity law for generations. It modernised the definition of “charitable purposes,” introduced a formal requirement for demonstrating public benefit, and gave the Charity Commission new regulatory teeth.
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While these reforms aimed to strengthen public confidence and encourage transparency, they also meant that organisations particularly small and medium-sized local groups had to adapt to a more regulated, professionalised environment. Trustees had to be better trained. Impact had to be measurable, and governance had to be more robust than ever before.


At the same time, digital technology was beginning to reshape how charities operated. Email newsletters replaced printed bulletins, online directories emerged, and early forays into social media opened up new frontiers for outreach and engagement. However, these changes brought challenges as well as opportunities. For grassroots organisations without dedicated IT teams or communications budgets, the learning curve was steep.


Perhaps most profound was the shift in how charities were funded.
Grant aid was increasingly replaced with commissioning and contract-based funding, forcing voluntary groups to compete with one another and sometimes with private providers to deliver services once considered core to community welfare. The rise of outcomes based reporting meant that passion alone was no longer enough; charities had to prove their worth through data, evaluation, and formalised impact assessments.


In this rapidly evolving landscape, many voluntary organisations struggled to keep pace. Yet BPRCVS not only adapted it thrived.

With Dorothy’s successor, Terry Hephrun at the helm ably navigating the choppy waters of the voluntary community and faith sector, BPRCVS managed to navigate the shifting sands by anchoring itself firmly in its founding ethos: to serve the real,
living needs of the people of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale whilst others faced mission drift or collapse, By combining traditional values of care and civic duty with modern practices of accountability and partnership, BPRCVS proved that local, place-based support could still flourish amid national change.

This ability to remain rooted while responding to reform would become a hallmark of BPRCVS’s work throughout the decade a testament to its agility, vision, and unshakeable commitment to community.

In 2001, BPRCVS demonstrated its ambition to be both locally rooted and globally connected. That year, the organisation became part of an international volunteering exchange supported by Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and The Prince’s Trust, welcoming 18 young people nine from India and nine from the UK for three-month placements in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.


The exchange, groundbreaking for the borough, was more than a cultural visit it was a living demonstration of shared learning and mutual service.


The young volunteers were placed with local community groups, youth organisations, and environmental initiatives, offering hands-on support and fresh perspectives. Whether helping deliver youth activities, supporting neighbourhood clean-ups, or joining social projects that tackled health inequalities, these volunteers brought global insight to local issues and in turn, they learned from the resilience and resourcefulness of the East Lancashire community sector.
The programme left a lasting impression on both the participants and their host communities, showing that solidarity and service could cross borders and barriers.


That same year, 2001 was declared the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer and BPRCVS rose to the occasion.
Orange and blue awareness ribbons were distributed across the region as symbols of civic pride, and events were held to promote the importance of volunteerism. These activities not only celebrated the tireless work of existing volunteers but also encouraged new people young and not-so-young to get involved in shaping their communities.


Meanwhile, organisational development was advancing behind the scenes.

The Carers Helpline, which had grown steadily through the 1990s, was relaunched in 2001 with a full team of five staff enhancing BPRCVS’s ability to support carers in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.
That same year also saw the creation of the Burnley Community Network, with BPRCVS serving as the accountable body. This move represented a major shift in community governance, enabling local groups to speak with one voice and access funding, training, and representation through a coordinated platform. It was an essential step in giving grassroots voices greater influence in local decision-making.

At the dawn of the 21st century, BPRCVS’s Carers Contact programme stood as a vital support system for the often overlooked and undervalued cohort of unpaid carers within Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale.


Starting the decade with 342 carers registered, the service witnessed remarkable growth over the following years by 2010, over 4,300 carers had signed up to the programme, with around 2,700 actively engaged in receiving ongoing support. This substantial increase reflected both the rising recognition of carers’ needs and the programme’s expanding reach and reputation.


Initially based in the heart of Burnley on Hammerton Street, Carers Contact served as more than just an information point; it was a lifeline and community anchor.


As the demand for services grew, the programme broadened its physical presence, moving into the East Lancashire Voluntary Sector Resource Centre, where it developed into a dynamic hub for carer advocacy, emotional support, and practical assistance.

Here, carers found a welcoming environment in which to share their experiences, voice their concerns, and access vital resources tailored to their unique challenges.


Recognising the diversity within the carer population, BPRCVS invested in specialist roles designed to meet specific needs. Dedicated workers supported young carers juggling education and family responsibilities, while others focused on carers from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, ensuring culturally sensitive support that acknowledged different traditions and barriers.

Additional roles targeted carers supporting individuals with learning disabilities or mental health conditions, groups often facing complex and demanding care situations.
Information and empowerment were central pillars of Carers Contact as befits BPRCVS as an
infrastructure organisation.

The creation of practical tools such as the A-Z Guide for Carers offered a comprehensive directory of services, advice, and rights, helping carers navigate the often fragmented care system with greater confidence. Collaborative work with local healthcare providers introduced the GP Carers’ role, a key initiative that strengthened links between carers and primary care services, ensuring carers’ needs were acknowledged in medical consultations and care planning.

Beyond practical support, Carers Contact was committed to improving carers’ wellbeing and quality of life. Pamper days provided opportunities for relaxation and self-care, while respite trips offered a temporary but invaluable break from caregiving duties.

Innovative projects like Carefree Days, run in partnership with Lancashire Adult Learning, combined respite with learning and social activities, helping carers to reconnect with their own interests and regain a sense of balance.

These activities were not only restorative but also affirming, helping to restore dignity and foster a supportive community where carers felt valued rather than invisible.

The programme’s success highlighted the importance of recognising carers as a hidden workforce individuals whose dedication underpins the health and wellbeing of many but whose own needs are often overlooked.
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Launched in 2000, the Young Carers Project rapidly became one of the most vital initiatives of the decade. These were children and young people, some as young as five, caring for family members with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or substance dependencies.

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From one worker in 2000 to a growing team by 2010, including specialist staff for mental health and substance misuse, the project supported over 400 young carers in its first decade. Its offerings one-to-ones, group sessions, family advocacy, and residential trips allowed young people to step out of the shadows and into supportive peer networks. They even produced their own newspaper for the project’s tenth anniversary, a powerful expression of their voices and experiences.

It started with just one dedicated worker, a passionate individual tasked with identifying young carers and reaching out into schools, social services, and community groups to find those hidden behind the scenes. Many young carers had long suffered in silence, their experiences invisible even to those closest to them. Some missed school, some struggled to make friends, and all carried a weight of responsibility far beyond their years.

From that single post in 2000, the Young Carers Project grew steadily. Over ten years, more than 400 young carers engaged with the programme.
But these numbers only tell part of the story.

​Behind each figure was a young person discovering a lifeline, a safe space, and most importantly, a sense that they were not alone.
The Young Carers Project was founded on the principle that these children deserved recognition, support, and a chance to reclaim some normality in their lives.

Volunteer Centre: Expanding the Spirit of Service

By the end of the 2000s, volunteering was no longer seen as a peripheral activity it had become an integral and valued part of life across Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale. At the heart of this transformation was the BPRCVS Volunteer Centre, which evolved during the decade into a dynamic hub of community engagement, opportunity, and innovation.

The statistics alone speak volumes. In 2007/08, the Volunteer Centre processed 642 volunteer referrals. By 2009/10, that number had risen dramatically to 2,254 an increase of more than 250% in just two years.

This surge was not merely a reflection of growing interest, but of a deeper cultural shift. Volunteering was no longer viewed as something for the few with spare time, but as a vital means of personal and professional development, a pathway into employment, a way to maintain social connections in later life, and a means of contributing meaningfully to the wider community.

One of its most important missions during this period was to challenge outdated perceptions of volunteering as low-skilled, low-impact work often associated exclusively with charity shops or manual labour. Through carefully crafted placement pathways and partnerships with a wide range of organisations, the centre opened up new and varied roles that better reflected the skills, aspirations, and lived experiences of volunteers.


Volunteers were now finding placements not just in traditional charity settings, but across a wide spectrum of roles: in hospitals as peer mentors supporting patients through recovery; in schools and youth services offering guidance and mentorship to at-risk young people; in administrative and customer service roles that helped build office and digital skills; and in community projects that required strategic thinking and leadership.


This diversification of roles broadened the appeal of volunteering, attracting a more diverse pool of individuals from university students seeking experience and CV development, to mid-life career changers, to retired professionals eager to stay active and connected.


A significant driver of this evolution was the centre’s emphasis on volunteer development. Volunteers were not simply placed and forgotten; they were nurtured, trained, and empowered.



The Volunteer Centre also became a key advocate on the national stage. Through active involvement in policy discussions and regional networks, BPRCVS helped shape broader conversations about the role of volunteering in the 21st century.
It championed the importance of robust volunteer management, fair recruitment practices, and inclusive access for underrepresented groups including people with disabilities, carers, and those from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
The centre promoted volunteering not only as an act of kindness or charity, but as a social contract: a mutual exchange that benefited both the individual and society as a whole.
As the decade progressed, volunteering also became a strategic response to the social and economic challenges of the time.

The late 2000s saw the global financial crisis and rising unemployment, particularly in areas like East Lancashire. In this context, volunteering offered a vital route to regain confidence, build employable skills, and maintain a sense of purpose.

For many who had lost work or faced redundancy, volunteering became the first step back into the labour market a chance to rebuild not only their CVs, but their identities.
One of the most powerful aspects of the Volunteer Centre’s work during this period was its ability to humanise statistics through real stories. Each number in the referral records represented a person a teenager learning leadership by coaching youth football, a recent migrant building English language skills through a reception desk role, an older adult combating loneliness by helping run a lunch club.
BPRCVS recognised the role of volunteering in community resilience.

In times of need whether responding to cuts in public services, emergencies, or growing demand for support the voluntary sector often stepped in to fill the gaps.
Volunteers were not a supplement to services; increasingly, they were the glue holding the social fabric together. The Volunteer Centre ensured that these contributions were coordinated, recognised, and sustained.
The late 2000s also saw growing interest in corporate social responsibility, and the Volunteer Centre capitalised on this trend by encouraging partnerships with local businesses. Employer-supported volunteering schemes began to emerge, enabling staff to give time to community projects during working hours.
This not only benefited the voluntary sector, but also strengthened ties between businesses and the communities they served.
Another key development was the centre’s role in volunteer brokerage.
Acting as a bridge between individuals and opportunities, BPRCVS maintained strong relationships with hundreds of local organisations, constantly identifying new placements and matching volunteers based on their interests, skills, and availability.
This proactive and person-centred approach helped ensure that volunteering was not only accessible, but meaningful.
By 2010, the Volunteer Centre had become far more than an administrative service it was a community engine, powering inclusion, regeneration, and transformation. Its work was underpinned by a belief that everyone, regardless of age, background, or circumstance, had something valuable to offer and that communities flourish when people are empowered to give their time, talents, and care.

Throughout the 2000s, Communicars emerged as one of BPRCVS’s most quietly transformative services a volunteer-led driving scheme that brought connection, and independence to some of the most isolated members of the community.

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Rooted in the founding ideals of the Burnley Citizens’ Guild where neighbourliness, mutual aid, and civic duty were cornerstones of action.
Communicars served as a living embodiment of those early values, reimagined for a modern world.


At first glance, Communicars may have seemed simple: a team of volunteer drivers using their own cars to transport people to medical appointments, shopping trips, or social activities. But behind this straightforward service lay a much deeper social impact. For many elderly, disabled, or otherwise mobility-restricted individuals across Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale, these journeys represented far more than miles covered they were lifelines to the outside world.


The scale of the scheme’s reach expanded significantly throughout the decade. In 2009/10 alone, volunteer drivers completed approximately 10,400 trips. By the following year, that number had grown to 11,700 an increase that reflected both the rising demand for accessible transport and the growing recognition of Communicars’ value in promoting inclusion and wellbeing.


The people using the service were often those who had few, if any, alternatives. Public transport might have been inaccessible, unreliable, or intimidating particularly for those with complex health needs, limited mobility, or anxiety around travel.
Taxis, while more flexible, were often prohibitively expensive for individuals on fixed incomes. Communicars filled this crucial gap, offering a cost-effective, friendly, and human-scale alternative that restored a sense of autonomy to people’s lives.
For many service users, Communicars drivers were not just transport providers they were familiar faces, friendly listeners, and trusted supporters.


The relationships built during these journeys often extended beyond the car door. Volunteers came to know their passengers’ routines, challenges, and stories.


Conversations ranged from the weather and grandchildren to fears about a medical diagnosis or memories of their town during better times. In an era marked by growing social isolation particularly among older adults these brief but meaningful connections were immensely valuable. The volunteers who made this possible came from all walks of life retired teachers, former tradesmen, carers, office workers united by a desire to give back to their community in a tangible, personal way.


They donated not only their time, but the use of their own vehicles, often going above and beyond the call of duty. Many were motivated by experiences in their own families or communities an elderly neighbour who could no longer drive, a friend who had become housebound, or a parent who had once relied on similar support. The organisation understood that sustaining the commitment of volunteers required both practical support and recognition of their immense value. Regular check-ins and gatherings helped foster a sense of belonging among the drivers themselves a community within a community.


The ripple effects of Communicars extended far beyond the individuals directly served. Families, especially those living far from ageing or vulnerable relatives, expressed deep gratitude for the reassurance the service provided.

Health professionals noted the improved appointment attendance rates and reduced emergency call-outs.

Local community groups saw increased engagement from people who otherwise would have remained at home. In many ways, Communicars acted as a preventative service, mitigating isolation and its associated health risks before more costly interventions were required. Throughout the decade, Communicars also adapted to changing circumstances. As demand grew and demographics shifted, BPRCVS worked to diversify the volunteer base and increase awareness of the scheme.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Communicars was its modesty.
It did not seek the spotlight, nor was it always headline-grabbing. Yet its impact was quietly profound. It provided a sense of agency to those who might otherwise have felt forgotten. It brought warmth and humanity to what could have been a purely transactional service. It turned everyday journeys into acts of care.

By 2010, Communicars was firmly established as one of BPRCVS’s most cherished services a shining example of how local volunteers, coordinated with care and compassion, could solve deeply human problems in practical and sustainable ways.

It was a wheel of independence, not only in the literal sense of mobility, but in restoring individuals’ sense of control, connection, and dignity.

In a time when statutory services were stretched thin and communities often felt fragmented, Communicars reminded everyone of what could still be achieved through the simple power of neighbourly kindness one ride at a time.

As the voluntary and community sector grew in scope and complexity during the 2000s, so too did the demand for skills, knowledge, and governance structures to match. Small grassroots groups, newly formed charities, and long-standing volunteer-led organisations were increasingly expected to operate with the rigour and professionalism once reserved for public and private sector institutions.

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In this shifting landscape, BPRCVS recognised a pressing need: to support the sector not just with advice or funding, but with the tools, training, and confidence to thrive.
The result was the formal launch of a structured training programme in 2007, developed under the BASIS Project (Building and Sustaining an Infrastructure of Support).
What began as a pragmatic response to a growing skills gap quickly became one of the organisation’s most enduring legacies of the decade. The training programme did more than deliver information; it helped to professionalise the voluntary sector while preserving its grassroots heart.
Between 2007 and 2011, the scale of the programme’s impact was remarkable.
Over 1,300 delegates from more than 650 organisations took part in 145 training sessions across Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale. These figures not only highlight the appetite for learning among local groups but also demonstrate the central role BPRCVS played in strengthening the region’s voluntary infrastructure.
Courses were intentionally accessible low-cost or free, delivered locally, and focused on practical skills. The sessions were designed to be the very first steps and they helped build foundations that lasted.
Indeed, the foundations were wide-ranging. The core training menu included health and safety, food hygiene, risk assessments, and emergency first aid essential topics for any group organising public activities, community meals, or events.
These courses ensured that small organisations could meet legal and safety standards with confidence, often making the difference between a promising idea and a successful, deliverable project.
Other sessions focused on volunteer management an increasingly critical issue as more organisations sought to grow their impact through unpaid staff. Participants learned how to recruit, retain, and support volunteers ethically and effectively, embedding good practice around safeguarding, supervision, and recognition.


Equally important were courses on self-care, stress management, and preventing burnout particularly valuable for volunteers and staff working in emotionally demanding roles such as carers’ support, mental health, or crisis response.


These sessions served as a reminder that caring for others must begin with caring for oneself, and they became a hallmark of the programme’s holistic approach.


Another significant development during this period was the inclusion of digital skills and IT training.


As more funders, regulators, and networks moved processes online, digital literacy became essential not only for day-to-day administration but for grant applications, monitoring outcomes, social media engagement, and online safety.


Recognising this, BPRCVS introduced beginner-friendly courses in email use, Microsoft Office, online safeguarding, and basic website building empowering even the smallest community group to navigate an increasingly digital world.



In addition to set courses, BPRCVS offered bespoke training for specific groups or emerging needs. For example, when new funding streams emerged with particular reporting requirements, tailored workshops were designed to guide groups through the paperwork.


When community cafés and foodbanks began to multiply in response to rising hardship, targeted training in food handling regulations helped ensure these services could operate safely and confidently.
But beyond the content, what truly set the BPRCVS training programme apart was its atmosphere of encouragement and peer support.


Sessions were rarely lectures instead, they became lively spaces for community leaders, volunteers, and project workers to meet, exchange ideas, and share challenges. In this way, each course doubled as a networking opportunity, strengthening the social ties that underpinned the sector’s resilience.


Feedback from attendees reflected both the value and the accessibility of the sessions. One delegate described the programme as “the bridge between wanting to do something good and knowing how to do it well.” Another commented, “I walked in thinking I’d feel out of place but I walked out knowing I had a place in the sector.”


These testimonials underscored the power of training not just to impart knowledge, but to build confidence and belonging.


As the economic downturn of the late 2000s began to bite, demand for training increased. Groups under financial pressure sought to make every pound count, and that meant improving everything from governance and volunteer coordination to financial management. BPRCVS responded by developing new sessions on writing successful funding bids, financial accountability, and trustee responsibilities helping groups adapt, survive, and often even thrive under tough conditions.



Adaptability is key in the sector and courses were regularly reviewed, and new topics added in response to emerging trends.


When safeguarding legislation changed, BPRCVS was quick to update its offer. When social media began to shape community engagement, BPRCVS introduced digital marketing sessions to ensure groups could amplify their work online. The training programme never stood still it evolved in pace with the sector and the socio-economic landscape.

By 2011, the training programme had established itself not only as a trusted provider of capacity-building but as a quiet force behind the scenes one that enabled hundreds of groups to deliver their missions more safely, confidently, and effectively.

It empowered ordinary people to step into leadership roles within their communities, giving them the knowledge to run meetings, recruit volunteers, balance budgets, and measure impact.

Its legacy was visible in the growing number of organisations that began to operate with professionalism, apply for larger grants, take on premises, or deliver commissioned services. These were not just better trained they were better prepared for the challenges of a changing sector.

In many ways, the BPRCVS training programme encapsulated the organisation’s wider ethos: to meet people where they are, help them build, and walk alongside them as they grow.

East Lancashire Voluntary Sector Resource Centre: A New Home, A New Era

Fulfilling a long-standing dream of Chief Officer Dorothy Lowe, the new headquarters on Yorkshire Street opened in 1999 and came into full use in the early 2000s. The East Lancashire Voluntary Sector Resource Centre was more than a building it was a symbol of permanence, collaboration, and visibility for the entire voluntary sector in the region.
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Hosting tenants like the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers and the East Lancashire Deaf Society, it also provided modern facilities for meetings, training, and drop-in advice. Shared corridors led to shared conversations and cross-organisational partnerships, enriching the civic landscape of East Lancashire.



Beyond Projects: A Philosophy of Support


Amid the wide range of services, training programmes, and volunteer initiatives that defined BPRCVS during the 2000s, there existed a deeper thread one not always listed in project evaluations or funding reports, but no less important: a consistent and enduring philosophy of community-based support.

It was this underlying ethos, rooted in solidarity, compassion, and empowerment, which tied together the organisation’s many strands of activity and gave its work lasting impact.
This philosophy was not bound to any single programme or time-limited initiative. It was embedded in the way BPRCVS approached its role not just as a service provider, but as a steward of community wellbeing. Whether addressing poverty, isolation, ill-health, or unemployment, the organisation worked from the ground up, listening to those it served and responding with humanity, flexibility, and purpose.
One of the most enduring and quietly impactful examples of this ethos was the Distress Fund, a form of emergency financial support offered to families with dependent children facing acute hardship.
Though capped at £400 per family per year, and operating largely behind the scenes, the fund remained a critical safety net for those falling through the cracks.
Its value lay not only in what it provided essentials such as heating, school uniforms, or food but in the dignity and discretion with which it was offered.


Unlike many formal support systems that required invasive assessments or long waits, the Distress Fund could respond quickly, often through referrals by trusted professionals or community workers.


This immediacy allowed families in crisis to receive support when they needed it most before problems spiralled into deeper debt, homelessness, or social services involvement.


In a decade marked by economic downturns, welfare reform, and growing financial precarity, this kind of quiet intervention often made the difference between stability and collapse.
The fund reflected a broader belief that no one should be left to struggle alone, especially families with children. It recognised that temporary hardship did not equate to failure or unworthiness, and that sometimes, what people need most is simply a bit of help at the right moment.


It also demonstrated the power of community-funded compassion drawing on donations, local partnerships, and volunteer support to sustain a flexible resource outside the limitations of state provision.


Just as the Distress Fund continued to serve families in need, earlier legacy projects such as the Friendly Visiting Scheme and hostel support work cornerstones of BPRCVS’s mid-20th-century service delivery either evolved or gave way to more contemporary expressions of the same principles.


Where once volunteers visited isolated older people in their homes for tea and conversation, new services like Carers Contact and Communicars carried this torch forward, responding to modern needs with the same emphasis on personal connection, trust, and presence.
The Friendly Visiting Scheme, for instance, may have ended in its original form, but its ethos of reducing loneliness, affirming dignity, and offering companionship remained very much alive in the everyday work of Communicars drivers or Carers Contact support staff. These weren’t just services;
they were relationships, built on empathy and a shared belief in the value of every individual. In this sense, BPRCVS didn’t just adapt to changing times it preserved the heart of its original mission through new structures and settings.



Similarly, the rise of the Volunteer Centre and the Training Programme during the 2000s reflected an expansion of this philosophy. Both initiatives were born not only out of practical need, but from a deep-rooted belief that people themselves are the greatest resource in any community. Rather than positioning service users as passive recipients of help, BPRCVS empowered them to be part of the solution to gain skills, give time, and build the capacity of others. Volunteering was not promoted merely as something altruistic, but as a reciprocal exchange: volunteers gained experience, confidence, and connection, while the organisations and individuals they supported received much-needed help.


Likewise, training wasn’t just about compliance or box-ticking it was about unlocking potential, giving people the tools to lead, manage, and sustain their own community initiatives. This reflected a broader shift in BPRCVS’s identity during the 2000s from provider to enabler; from helper to partner.


What tied all of these activities together whether a single distress grant, a peer mentor placement, or a safeguarding course was the relational approach BPRCVS embedded in its daily practice. The organisation knew that strong communities are not built by services alone, but by people who are connected, supported, and empowered. That meant recognising the humanity in every interaction, responding with flexibility, and working with not just for those in need.
This philosophy also guided BPRCVS’s wider role as a connector and convener.


Through forums, networks, and collaborative partnerships, the organisation brought together community leaders, public agencies, faith groups, and residents around shared challenges and common goals. It saw its role not as central authority, but as facilitator of local strength helping others to grow, organise, and take action.
In the 2000s, as social needs diversified and funding landscapes became more competitive, this underlying philosophy became more important than ever.
It helped BPRCVS navigate the tension between professionalisation and grassroots authenticity, ensuring that as the sector modernised, it did not lose sight of its foundational values: trust, compassion, inclusion, and mutual respect.

Ultimately, while projects came and went some completing their funding cycles, others evolving into new forms this deeper ethos remained.


It was visible in the reassurance offered to a single mother helped by the Distress Fund, the confidence built in a volunteer through training, the independence restored by a Communicars ride, or the emotional relief brought to a young carer through advocacy and respite.
By 2010, BPRCVS had built not only an impressive array of services, but a culture a way of working that prioritised people, relationships, and community resilience above all else. This was the thread running through its entire history, from its origins in the Burnley Citizens’ Guild to its modern identity as a trusted anchor organisation in East Lancashire.

More than just a provider of support, BPRCVS had become a philosophical home for community action: a place where compassion was organised, solidarity was practical, and everyday people were given the tools and the belief to make a difference in each other’s lives.


Conclusion: Standing Firm in Changing Times


What made BPRCVS exceptional in this period was not simply the range of its services, but the way it conducted itself as a civic institution resilient in the face of challenge, inclusive in its partnerships, and profoundly committed to social justice. In an era marked by austerity measures, increased scrutiny, and competition for shrinking resources, BPRCVS did not retreat. Instead, it advanced with humility and intelligence, building capacity across the sector and investing in others so that communities could speak for themselves, support themselves, and sustain themselves. It did this not by imposing top-down solutions, but by listening closely, constantly to the voices of carers, volunteers, trustees, youth workers, parents, and neighbours.


It recognised that expertise does not always come with titles, and that lived experience is as valuable as formal education when it comes to shaping effective, dignified support. This bottom-up ethic so closely aligned with the organisation’s 1935 founding principles continued to guide every new initiative. Throughout the 2000s, BPRCVS proved itself agile in a changing policy landscape. It adapted to new funding mechanisms and expectations around impact measurement and accountability without losing sight of the people behind the numbers. It embraced professionalisation while holding fast to its grassroots identity.


It operated with increasing sophistication though never became remote or bureaucratic. In doing so, it served as a bridge between formal systems and informal networks, between local residents and regional decision-makers, and between tradition and innovation.
In each story lies a reflection of BPRCVS’s wider purpose: not to act for communities, but to act with them to help shape a society in which every person, regardless of background or circumstance, has the opportunity to connect, contribute, and thrive.

By the close of the decade, BPRCVS stood not only as a provider of services, but as a custodian of community values, and as a platform for collective progress. The organisation had successfully navigated a time of enormous change while holding fast to its founding mission: to promote self-help, deepen civic responsibility, and work towards the elimination of poverty through voluntary action and mutual aid.

As the next decade approached, BPRCVS carried with it a renewed sense of purpose and a legacy of community support that marched on: steadily, quietly, and with ever-widening arms.