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NOTICE OF CLOSURE

For over 35 years, we have been the backbone of the voluntary sector in Basildon, Billericay & Wickford, creating, supporting, and sustaining hundreds of non-profit organisation’s that protect and serve the most vulnerable in our borough. As the only local organisation dedicated to infrastructure support, our role has been instrumental in ensuring the success and sustainability of charities and community groups that make a real difference every day.

Our direct service delivery has adapted to meet the changing needs of our borough, and we have remained deeply committed to closing gaps in support.

Over the years, we have provided:

⦁ An Emergency Homeless Night Shelter, which since December has provided over 1,000 bed stays to those with nowhere else to turn.

⦁ Guidance and support for the most vulnerable, including the elderly, those facing  homelessness, survivors of abuse, and young people.

⦁ Critical support for local public bodies, helping their staff identify the best opportunities and outcomes for service users.

⦁ We were a pioneering force during the COVID-19 pandemic, being among the first organisations to set up vaccination and testing clinics staffed by volunteers. This was even recognised in Parliament.

Despite our dedication and impact, we now face an urgent and unprecedented threat to our survival. Drastic changes to commissioning and funding structures mean that without immediate intervention, we will be unable to continue delivering these vital services.

We already operate with a skeleton staff and have embedded numerous cost-saving measures to maintain our services. However, the financial strain has now become unsustainable. Unlike other community provisions, our homeless night shelter and asylum seeker/refugee support have not received statutory funding in recent years, placing immense strain on our financial stability.

Demand for our volunteer brokerage service has never been higher, with increasing expectations that volunteers will be the solution to many public service needs. However, without adequate investment, we cannot sustain or expand this essential support.

We remain unwavering in our mission to support our community and will continue to operate at the highest standards, advocating for those in need for as long as possible. However, the Board have been closely monitoring the future financial sustainability of the organisation in conjunction with their legal responsibilities as directors and trustees. Unfortunately, we have concluded that we are now about to reach the point where we must take action to ensure an orderly closure that protects ongoing projects, staff and stakeholders.

To address our challenges, we are holding a General Meeting on Thursday 29th May at 2pm online to discuss the implication of the closure of our charity. We welcome your attendance. Please register here. 

We would like to clarify that any current investments in our services are well protected and not at risk of loss.

In today’s fast-paced world, effective communication is the cornerstone of building strong connections and achieving collective goals. This is particularly crucial when it comes to bridging the gap between statutory bodies and community organisations.

The Basildon Borough Community Network, is a new powerful online platform designed to facilitate meaningful connections and collaborations and we want you to be a part of it!

Our Community Network provides the framework to bring people together, foster collaboration, and facilitate meaningful interactions within a dedicated online environment, at a time that suits you!

Join us today (it’s free!)

Can we call on you?

Want to help the community?

We are building a list of reserve volunteers we can call on as needed to help out community members.

If you would be willing to help please contact the  BBW Volunteer Network.

Basildon Billericay and Wickford CVS 

Basildon Billericay and Wickford CVS (Council for Voluntary Service) was formed in 1979 as an independent registered charity that exists to promote, develop, support and represent a thriving, effective, voluntary and community sector in the borough.

Our work and mission

We are guided by values that promote equality of opportunity, participation, cooperation, partnership and democratic involvement. We promote local voluntary and community action in order to combat poverty and disadvantage, and to improve the quality of life for all of Basildon’s communities and citizens.

We do this by providing a range of services to meet the needs of voluntary and community organisations, helping those that are starting up as well as organisations that are already established. We also support joint working between voluntary and community organisations, with business, and the statutory sector, and help to make sure the interests and concerns of the VCS are well represented.

You can find out more about the impact of our work in our annual reports.

Basildon Billericay and Wickford CVS is registered charity (1148943) and a company limited by guarantee (8028602). We are governed by trustees who are nominated and elected by our members.

We are a member of NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) and EACVS (Essex Association of Voluntary Services) as we believe it is important to share information, disseminate good practice and influence decision-making that affects our sector.

In summary we aim to make a real difference to the people and communities of Basildon. If you share this vision and want to help us on this journey you can join our growing membership.