Network Members
The West Midlands Rural Community Council Network is made up of four members; Community First, Community Council of Shropshire, Community Council of Staffordshire and Warwickshire Community Council.Community First
Community First is an independent charity offering a range of support and advice to both voluntary organisations and local communities. We aim to encourage good quality, sustainable initiatives within local communities and to promote best practice at all levels.Our Mission Statement
We will provide high quality services to voluntary and community organisations in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, raise awareness of their needs and develop, deliver and sustain initiative that tackle disadvantage and enable local people to take action:- Pursing equality of opportunity, the eradication of discrimination, inequality, social exclusion and poverty
- Valuing and maximising the potential of the people who contribute to the work of the organisation
- Being a learning, entrepreneurial organisation
- Achieving the highest possible standards in everything that we do
- Continuous improvement in performances and services
- Ensuring financial prudence and the efficient use of all the charity’s resources
- Openess, transparency and accountability
- Working in partnership with users and funders
- Community First is staffed by people who can offer expertise in their own field, enabling us to respond efficiently to requests for advice. We can offer advice over the telephone or attend meetings of local groups or committees. We act as a focal point for voluntary organisations across the area, and provide a link with statutory services.
Community Council of Shropshire
The Community Council of Shropshire, is an independent charity established over 40 years ago (Registered Charity No. 218783). Our aims are to maintain and improve the quality of life in Shropshire, particularly its rural communities.We encourage, facilitate and enable voluntary effort and activity with a particular focus on assisting disadvantaged people and working for productive partnerships between the statutory, voluntary and private sectors. We aim to do this by:
- Providing direct advice and support to voluntary organisations and community groups
- Stimulating community action, particularly voluntary action, and encouraging good practice
- Providing professional support and advice to key service providers
- Raising awareness of rural issues and influencing decision makers
Community Council of Staffordshire
Working in partnership to protect and improve the quality of life for all of those living and working in the communities of Staffordshire, especially in the rural areas.We are actively engaged in protecting and improving the quality of life for all of those living or working in the communities of Staffordshire by promoting self-help initiatives within communities, especially those in rural areas. Our aim is to:-
- Provide a wide range of advice, information and support for voluntary groups.
- Liase between the statutory and voluntary sectors at all levels and across a wide range of subjects including environmental issues, affordable rural housing, health and community care, education, training, transport, village halls, shops, post offices, and all other rural services.
- Assimilate information on such services and needs in order to react positively and appropriately in order to influence any remedial action that may be required.
- The Community Council of Staffordshire is a member of the National Federation of Community Councils and acts as Secretariat to the West Midland Region of Community Councils.
Warwickshire Community Council
Warwickshire Rural Community Council (WRCC) is a charity and company limited by guarantee. It was established in 1937 and provides advice, guidance, support and encouragement to mainly, but not exclusively, rural communities and the organisations operating within those communities.The work is commissioned largely, although not exclusively, by Government Agencies and Local Authorities.
The WRCC is a countywide organisation, with many contacts in communities. Our ethos is to build the capacity of local communities, whilst ensuring that rural community life is protected and enhanced. We employ a number of full and part time staff who work with communities in a number of ways, ranging from advising village hall committees to promoting sustainable rural economic development to enabling effective consultation with rural communities.
We maintain a close association with local government in the county, both directly with individual parish and district councils, as well as the County Council, itself, but also through the Warwickshire & West Midlands Association of Local Councils (WALC). We also work closely with local infrastructure organisations such as CVS, Volunteer Bureau and Councils for Voluntary Youth Service and sit on all the local strategic partnerships in the rural districts of the county (four).
Our strengths include:
- Being a countywide organisation, we are able to represent and monitor the needs of rural communities.
- We have a well motivated staff team, who are highly regarded by our partner organisations e.g. Warwickshire County Council and the Countryside Agency.
- We have an in depth understanding of the rural communities in Warwickshire and the issues they face.
- We have excellent contacts with activists and communities at a grass roots level
- We have good contacts with other organisations at a local, county and regional level and we network effectively
- We are the only organisation of our kind within Warwickshire
"We will provide high quality services enabling people to build better communities and we will ensure the rural voice is heard"
WRCC is part of Action for Communities in Rural England (ACRE). We are based at the Stoneleigh Deer Park, Stareton, close to the National Agricultural Centre.
Visit the Warwickshire Rural Community Council website