The district's voluntary and community organisations have gained an important boost from the appointment of Karen Lawson to give them specialist help, thanks to funding from the Suffolk Coastal Local Strategic Partnership (LSP).
 
Karen is the Voluntary and Community Sector Development Co-ordinator, and is based with the Suffolk Association of Voluntary Organisations (SAVO).
 
“This is a key role in helping to support and develop the work of voluntary and community organisations in our district. These groups provide services enjoyed by thousands of our residents and it is a recognition of their importance that they are now being described nationally as the third sector, after the business and public sectors,” said Cllr Ray Herring, Chairman of the Suffolk Coastal LSP.
 
Among the immediate goals of the new job will be to create a database of all the voluntary and community organisations in the district, offering support and advice to the groups so they can achieve better training and funding, and promote their activities and the need for volunteers.

“We know that we have a committed, hard-working and successful voluntary sector in our district, but it is also clear that in these challenging times they need more support to help them develop.

“There has been an increasing expectation from central government downwards that the voluntary sector can take on more and more tasks and responsibilities, with all the additional rules and regulations that often comes with them.
 
“Funding is becoming increasingly difficult with a wide variety of funders, each with strict criteria. The demands on existing volunteers and the need for new ones is also becoming greater. The LSP and SAVO hopes that Karen will play a vital part in helping groups to grow and be better informed about developments so that they are able to continue their excellent work throughout our district,” added Cllr Herring.
 
Anyone wanting to contact Karen Lawson can call her on 01473 275195 or contact her by email