European Social Fund in England

Huge impact of Cornwall’s voluntary and community organisations

A new report, commissioned by Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum, examines the real impact of ESF on Cornwall’s voluntary and community groups. Valuing the Voluntary Sector captures the success story of Cornwall’s voluntary and community organisations under ESF Objective One funding. The voluntary and community sector delivered a wide range of support to many thousands of people. The report shows that over 17,000 people benefited from ESF funded voluntary sector programmes.

ESF also had a wider impact, as Gareth Hart, the Perfect Moment consultant who led the research, says: ‘ESF funding has made a huge difference to voluntary and community groups in Cornwall. ESF has helped build capacity in the sector and deliver positive outcomes for many people in Cornwall. I hope this good work continues under the new European Union Convergence programme for Cornwall. The research clearly shows the value of voluntary and community groups to the county’

A full copy of the report is available at www.perfect-moment.co.uk.

Case Study

Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change (CN4C) is a charity that supports people living in social housing and is a key deliverer of services to some of the most disadvantaged communities in Cornwall. Using ESF funding the charity has helped over 1,300 people secure jobs and a further 2,000 get a qualification or access training.