TWO volunteer agencies based in Petersfield are to have a new name following a merger which is set to take place this week. From today (Friday) Volunteer Centre East Hampshire and Voluntary Action East Hampshire, based at The Tilmore Centre in Petersfield, will form one new organisation to be know as Community First East Hampshire. Funded jointly by EHDC and Hampshire County Council, which provides core funding, it is also supported by grant funding from various organisations and fundraising initiatives. The merger will bring together a number of services by offering a "first-stop shop" across its three broad areas of service throughout the district. The three areas include Community First Volunteer Centre, aimed at promoting volunteering, recruiting and placing volunteers, supporting individual volunteers and the organisations which depend on them, and Community First Training, which works with voluntary groups to identify training needs and providing relevant training courses and events. It also includes Community First Support, which provides advice, information and guidance for the voluntary sector, forming the link between statutory and voluntary sectors and actively engaging in strategic partnerships. Audrey Hollingbery, director of Voluntary Action East Hampshire, told The Herald this week that the low-key merger of the two district-wide organisations followed consultations with a variety of people. Voluntary Action, which has been running for eight years and had its beginnings in Liss, supports and provides guidance to voluntary and community groups in East Hampshire. With three members of staff, including its director, development advisor and two part- time administrators, the merger will enable the group to take on new priorities. Among its projects will be looking at the needs of youngsters and making sure that everyone can access services. "We will be working together with Petersfield Voluntary Centre but with a district-wide perspective, to improve East Hampshire as a place to live. Mrs Hollingbery added that the new organisation will be "better informed and help in a more comprehensive way". The development manager for East Hampshire Volunteer Bureau, Sue Green, said the merger was "an excellent idea". Affiliated to the national body, Volunteering England, the role of the organisation, which has been operating locally for six years, was, said Mrs Green, to "promote volunteering in the local community." The merger will enable the bureau to have between 500 to 600 contacts with organisations across the district including Four Marks, Alton, Liphook, Bordon, Horndean, Petersfield and Liss. "The merger will mean we will have a larger team and able to share some of our workload and be able to have better coverage of the whole of East Hampshire." She hoped the merger "will iron out any confusion people have about the difference between Voluntary Action East Hampshire and the Volunteer Bureau". Len Mills and Teresa Jamieson, chairmen of East Hampshire Volunteer Bureau and Voluntary Action for East Hampshire respectively, praised staff, volunteers and trustees of both organisations for their contribution to the merger discussions and process. "The commitment and dedication shown by everyone involved has enabled the high quality service provided by both organisations to be maintained while the merger talks progressed" said Mr Mills. Teresa Jamieson added: "Although there is still a lot of work to be done, we now have a clear focus and objective to work to with the agreement and support of our trustees and members, which we greatly appreciate."
