Celebrating a Year of Community Impact: Week 3 – Leadership & Advocacy

As we head towards the end of the year, we’re taking time to reflect on the impact we’ve made. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be showcasing our work by exploring the core functions that shape everything we do.

As we head towards the end of the year, we’re taking time to reflect on the impact we’ve made, along with our partners and members, by enhancing life in Derby through voluntary action.

Over the next five weeks, we’ll be sharing highlights from our Annual Impact Report – showcasing the work we do as Derby’s local voluntary sector infrastructure organisation.

Each week, we’ll explore one of the four core functions that shape everything we do. Follow along to see the difference we’ve made and the impact of Derby’s incredible voluntary sector!

You can read our full Impact Report here: www.communityactionderby.org.uk/our-work/our-impact/reports

Week 3: Leadership & Advocacy

A vital part of our role is ensuring Derby’s voluntary sector has a strong voice in the decisions that affect our communities — and that vulnerable and marginalised communities are supported and empowered.

We do this by representing the sector at key boards, partnerships and strategic forums, and by championing initiatives that tackle social exclusion, health inequalities and economic disadvantage.

From April 2024 – March 2025 we:

• Won the 2024 LGC Award for Diversity and Inclusion through our Derby Health Inequalities Partnership (DHIP)
• Distributed £41k+ in grants to 21 providers via our Diverse Carers Alliance, supporting engagement with carers from diverse backgrounds
• Continued to develop the New Arrivals Alliance, to better support refugees and asylum seekers
• Supported access to community-based wellbeing through our Social Prescribing service, receiving 2,100 referrals and running 7 regular coffee mornings.

Thank you to our partners, members and community connectors who work with us to champion Derby’s voluntary sector and the communities it serves!

Find out more:

• About the programmes highlighted above on our Programmes and Alliances page
• About our Strategic Advocacy on our Our Impact page.