The Bureau

Who we are

We are a nationally accredited Volunteer Centre, established in 1979 and the needs and rights of both local people and our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to developing solutions that can be delivered through effective voluntary action and partnership working.

Over the last 20 years The Bureau has grown and evolved, in line with the changing needs and wants of local people. We have moved on from being ‘just’ a volunteer centre and now offer a range of different services including:

• Practical and Social Support – helping people who need a bit of extra support with practical day-to-day services. This helps people look after their health, stay active and live independently within their local community.
• Volunteering – ongoing support to help people find the right formal or one-off volunteering opportunities that match their interests, skills and time.
• Economic Wellbeing – help for people to move into paid employment through skills development, volunteering placements and pre-employment support.
• Infrastructure Support – helping other local voluntary groups to recruit (brokerage) and induct volunteers, provide DBS checks, and training for volunteers. We also provide meeting rooms and equipment hire, photocopying, promotion and information sharing.
• Working in partnership – with local groups, the public sector, regional and national bodies to develop vibrant and creative volunteering communities.

Our aim is to create opportunities that enable people and communities to take action that makes positive social change and community benefit whilst improving quality of life for local people, all underpinned by our core values described below:

• Passion and Commitment
• Vision and Bravery
• Value of People and Community
• Strength in Partnership
• Getting it Done
• Making an Impact

To realise our aims, we launched our 3-year strategic plan in November 2019 setting 5 key aims to:

1.         Be a catalyst for community wellbeing and activity.
2.         Grow and respond to unmet local need.
3.         Support the Voluntary, Community & Faith Sector (VCFS) in Glossopdale
4.         Enable local voices to be heard.
5.         Invest in the future of our organisation.

We work alongside commissioners, members of the public and VCFS and strategic partners to deliver services, providing voluntary sector infrastructure and strategic leadership. We connect our community to health, social care and other public services and community interventions to support people towards wellness.