Voluntary Sector Forum - April 2025

Thank you to everybody who joined us for our Derby Voluntary Sector Forum at the Chester Green Community Centre! It was great to see familiar faces and welcome new members to our April forum.

The VS Forum is a free, regular event open to anyone working or volunteering in Derby’s charity sector, from small community groups to larger registered charities. It’s a chance to connect with others, share ideas and keep up to date with what’s happening locally.

We started with a presentation from our CEO, Kim Harper. The presentation gave an overview on the changes to local government structures and how it will affect the voluntary sector. 

Special thanks to our speakers, who provided an informative and varied overview of the great work happening in our city:

• Duncan Livsey, from Read Easy, shared their vision for all adults in Derby City, Amber Valley, Erewash and South Derbyshire to have the literacy skills they need to realise their potential and live life to the full. Read Easy offers free, flexible and friendly coaching at approved local venues with trained coaches. 
• Karen Allen presented an overview of Spectrum Heads. Spectrum Heads is a peer-led, lived experience autistic and neurodivergent community that offers education, discussion and social opportunities for autistic and neurodivergent adults without an intellectual impairment. 
• Matthew Eremwanarue from Global Light Apostolic Ministries gave an overview of their community projects, including a food bank and a Youth Integration and Community Resilience Project. 
• Tracy Harrison from Safe and Sound presented and shared their vision about preventing exploitation wherever they can. Tracy covered multiple ways that Safe and Sound advocates, educate and support young people who are at risk of exploitation.

If you would like to be notified when bookings open for our next Voluntary Sector Forum, subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Eventbrite, or keep an eye on our website and social media channels for updates. We look forward to seeing you there!

You can find us on social media at:

• Facebook: @CommunityActionDerby

• Instagram: @community_action_derby

• LinkedIn: @CommunityActionDerby