Voluntary Sector Valued From Canada to Coventry

Being CEO of 3VA is a real privilege. So many of the activities we support make such a real difference to local communities. The diversity and commitment of project and groups bring real interest to my role all of the time.

Recently, I've learned a couple of very important lessons that I wanted to share with you all. It just so happens that I've been to two far-flung conferences of late - one in Coventry and one in Canada - and I'm grateful to Sussex Police and the University of Brighton for enabling these exciting opportunities.

What did I learn? That the work of the voluntary sector is valued everywhere - it was great to hear in Canada examples of great voluntary sector work from around the world, but time and again I also heard positive interest and praise for the work we do here. The second lesson came in Coventry in the real commitment to partnership working I found from police and other professionals - we know times are tough but there are many out there looking to work with us to find ways through these challenging times.

Finally, we've noe produced the "Valuing the Voluntary Sector" report which gives lots of information about the value of the voluntary sector in East Sussex. I hope many of you are finding it useful as a sourse of evidence of your value. We are finding that the message about the value of the sector in East Sussex is being heard. Kevin Curley, Chief Executive of NAVCA, commented, "I will be using this as a model of good practice while representing the membership at a national level." In summary, it has never been more vital to remember the value and importance of what you do, and to keep telling people about it.

All the best, Adam.