The Bureau

Who we are

At the Bureau, we believe in putting the needs and rights of both local people and our volunteers first. Our goal is to create solutions through effective volunteer action and collaboration. In the past 20 years, we've expanded and adapted to meet the changing needs of our community. We're more than just a volunteer center now. We offer a variety of services, such as:

• Practical and Social Support: We assist individuals who need extra help with day-to-day tasks, promoting health, activity and independent living within the community.
• Volunteering: We provide ongoing support to help people find the right formal or one-off volunteer opportunities that align with their interests, skills, and time availability.
• Economic Wellbeing: We help people find paid employment through skill development, volunteering placements, and pre-employment support.
• Infrastructure Support: We assist other local volunteer groups with recruiting and training volunteers, providing DBS checks, and renting out meeting rooms and equipment.
• Partnership: We work with local groups, the public sector, and regional/national bodies to build strong and innovative volunteer communities.

What Do We Believe?

• People and community should be at the heart of what we do

• Our community holds the answers as well as the questions

• Only by listening can we move forward

• We should be flexible to meet need

• There is strength in partnership

• We need to be brave and passionate in what we do

• Everything we do should make a difference.

How Do We Deliver Our Aims?

We have many services, some of which have been running since we were set up, such as community transport and volunteering. Others change, or are introduced as the needs of people change, such as employment help and Social Prescribing. All our services work together to support individuals.

How are we developing?

Over the last forty years we have shown we can build innovative services; we provided the first Community Transport Bus in Derbyshire and led the way with our Social Prescribing model. As we move closer to our fiftieth birthday, we will continue to ensure there are local services for people across Glossopdale developed and run by volunteers.In particular we are:

Investing In Our Volunteers

Many of our volunteers develop new skills that enable them to widen their volunteering or take on paid employment. We will continue to provide training and development opportunities to our volunteers.

Building on Partnerships

We are working closely with other local charities and groups, Derbyshire and High Peak Councils and the NHS. Together we will work to provide coordinated services for local people.

Reviewing and Developing Existing Services

We regularly review our services to check that they are still meeting local need. When new needs arise we will continue to identify new service opportunities, listening to and engaging with local people as we design and deliver services.

Pursuing New Opportunities

As a charity we actively seek ways of bringing in funding to support the people of Glossopdale. As funding mechanisms change, we will ensure we are involved in discussions around new opportunities and bring resources to support the growth of local voluntary groups.

During the life of this strategy The Bureau will continue to be a place where local people can come to seek or offer help to support people in Glossopdale to live their lives in the best way they can.

The Bureau was set up as a charity in 1979 by the then Director of Social Services. Known as The Volunteer Bureau at the time, it was established in order to create much needed services for local people across Glossopdale – specifically developed and run by volunteers.

History 

Starting life on Henry Street, after the first 5 years it was running services as well as a Community Transport project. In fast, it provided the first Community Transport Bus in Derbyshire. As the services continued to grow, The Volunteer Centre moved to larger premises; first on Chapel Street and then Howard Town House.

This brings us to our current day home, back on Henry Street! We now operate as The Bureau, with a registered name of Glossop and District Volunteer Bureau. We offer a wide range of wonderful projects that have developed over time along with the needs of our community – but always with volunteers at the heart. 

Our culture and values

At The Bureau, we believe that a strong and inclusive culture is essential for creating a great place to work and building a vibrant community. That’s why we are committed to celebrating diversity and fostering a sense of belonging among our staff, stakeholders, and the wider community we serve.

Find out more here - https://the-bureau.org.uk/about/culture-inclusion/