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This year, the Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands has provided £12,800 to support the necessary funding of a Transport Coordinator for the Guernsey Voluntary Service (GVS).
GVS offer a variety of services which accommodate elderly citizens in the community through a Meals on Wheels service and two day-centres in the island. These services provide a warm meal and a friendly face to their clients and allow many to continue living independently.
The day centres are a welcoming place for the older community where they can go to interact socially, enjoy hot meals, and take advantage of various other activities and entertainment on tap, such as a hair dressing salon. They also offer a force of volunteers who transport clients to and from the day centres and it was through this mix of drivers and services on offer that it became apparent a transport coordinator was necessary.
In 2015, the Foundation provided a management consultant through their Enhance programme which is offered to grant recipients in order to provide non-financial, tailored support to help strengthen the effectiveness of their organisation. The management consultant reviewed GVS throughout 2015 as part of their strategic plan and at the end of the review it was determined that GVS were in need of a part-time worker to coordinate the transport schedule and ensure that all 200 of their clients attending the day centres are able to get the best possible care and experience. Prior to the addition of the Transport Coordinator the responsibility was pushed onto the roles of the day centre managers.
Sandra Collins, GVS Administrator, commented: “Having the transport coordinator there to take on this responsibility allows the day centre managers to focus on their role at hand and gives a more organised approach to the transport of our clients. Alan Lawrie, our management consultant assigned through the Enhance Programme, identified this necessity and I can say with confidence that the addition of our part-time transport coordinator is really making a difference in our functionality.”
Historically, GVS stemmed from the Women’s Voluntary Service which set up a Guernsey branch in 1949. The purpose of WVS was to give practical support to isolated and lonely people, to assist them to maintain their independence and to help them remain in their own homes. This mantra still rings true for the charity, which rebranded as Guernsey Voluntary Service in 2011, and today has 500 active volunteers throughout the islands.
Sandra Collins added: “We’re so thankful to the Foundation for their support, not only financially, but also for the strategic plan and review offered through their Enhance Programme. This was essential in identifying our needs as a charity and will carry us forward.”
Jo Le Poidevin, Executive Director, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, commented: “It’s excellent to see our Enhance programme achieve success by identifying a challenge for the charity, implementing the process to address that challenge, and introducing the solution. In this case, the transport coordinator which we provided salary funding for was integral in the operation of the charity and the organisation can now run smoothly and more efficiently.”
The Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands is one of the leading charitable trusts in the Channel Islands. During 2016, the Foundation expects to provide nearly £800,000 to support local charities between the bailiwicks. Most recently, the Foundation announced funding to support GO in the relocation of their charity shop, GO2, in St. Sampsons. GO helps those with mild communication difficulties gain work experience and also provides employment opportunities and training. Support has been provided in the form of £35,000 which will cover rental costs in their new premises for a year. This funding will allow them to increase their turnover sufficiently in order to afford the cost of rent in future.
