Information from Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS)
Minister for Civil Society marks ‘Giving Tuesday’ with visits to Stoke-on-Trent voluntary organisations
Minister for Civil Society Stephanie Peacock has visited Stoke-on-Trent to see the outstanding work being delivered in the city’s voluntary sector, with trips to Made in Stoke at the North Staffordshire YMCA and to the Dudson Centre where she met Voluntary Action Stoke-on-Trent (VAST) alongside 20 local community leaders.
To mark ‘Giving Tuesday’ on 3 December – known as a global day of giving – the Minister met with the Made in Stoke network to hear about its recent successes in driving philanthropic giving and how the model could be replicated in other parts of the country. Minister Peacock spoke with the network and local partner organisations, such as YMCA North Staffordshire, the Community Foundation for Staffordshire and Shropshire and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, about how Made in Stoke has created a community of those who want to give back to Stoke due to their links to the city.
The visit to VAST at the Dudson Centre followed the Prime Minister and Secretary of State’s announcement last month which reset the government’s relationship with civil society, through the creation of a Civil Society Covenant. The Covenant is designed to harness the knowledge and expertise of civil society leaders and organisations to deliver better outcomes for communities right across the UK.
During the visit, Minister Peacock spoke with VAST CEO Lisa Healings and local community representatives to hear their views on the Covenant and learn about the community’s approach to volunteering, tackling loneliness and building community resilience in Stoke.
The visit formed part of a wider eight-week engagement period across Government, the public sector and civil society on the Covenant Framework.
VAST has worked to support a thriving voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector for more than 100 years across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire, acting as an advocate and supporting cross-sector work with public and health sector partners.
Minister Peacock also heard from a range of other local organisations and service providers representing civil society in Stoke, including Changes Health and Wellbeing, Birches Head Get Growing, and Expert Citizens CIC.
Minister for Civil Society, Stephanie Peacock said:
“Made in Stoke is an excellent example of how giving to good causes, not least on Giving Tuesday, can bring significant benefits to the local community and illustrates the importance of how collaboration can boost the impact of philanthropic giving.
“While visiting VAST I was delighted to hear about the inspiring work they’re undertaking in Stoke and North Staffordshire to support and empower the local community. These community organisations are tackling some of society’s toughest challenges, and I look forward to seeing how we can pave the way for a new era in the relationship between government and civil society to support these communities.”
Made in Stoke Chair, Nicky Twemlow said:
“In 2020, Stoke-on-Trent was voted the kindest city in the UK, so it felt fitting to welcome the Minister to hear all about Made in Stoke and how we are capturing the kindness of Stokies from across the globe.
“Through Made in Stoke, people are gifting their time, talent and treasure to help the city and its communities grow and thrive, and it was valuable to share how government could support this work and replicate place-based philanthropy networks in other areas.”
VAST CEO, Lisa Healings said:
“It was fantastic to be able to welcome the Minister to The Dudson Centre to meet with VCSE organisations from across the city to discuss the Civil Society Covenant. This was the perfect opportunity to highlight the range of amazing organisations within the VCSE sector who deliver essential services and support their local communities.
“We welcome the government’s proposal to improve the relationship between government and the VCSE sector through the Civil Society Covenant and were pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the proposals in more detail during the visit.”
