LONDON 2012 legacy funder, Spirit of 2012, has awarded almost £250,000 to Conwy County Borough Council for Admani Conwy! (Go Conwy!) to develop volunteering in the area, delivering plans set out in its UK City of Culture bid.

Amdani Conwy! aims to harness the momentum generated through the City of Culture bid to renew and expand volunteering in the area by:

• Re-engaging lapsed volunteers.

• Diversifying the volunteer workforce.

• Addressing gaps in provision.

• Creating new types of volunteering opportunities.

• Implementing a new system for volunteer management.

The project is led by a steering group with representation from the Conwy Council, Disability Arts Cymru, and Community and Voluntary Support Cymru.

Conwy is one of four locations which have been awarded a grant from the Volunteering Cities fund.

The other three locations are Bradford, Great Yarmouth and East Suffolk, and Medway.

In May, Bradford was confirmed as UK City of Culture 2025.

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The funding will be used in Conwy to:

• Strengthen the existing volunteering infrastructure, with a clear plan for how this will be delivered in the long-term.

• Identify and engage a cohort of new volunteers who stand to benefit from volunteering with the project, and measure its impact on them.

• Generate insights into a number of key areas, including the rural volunteering infrastructure, how to recruit and retain people least likely to volunteer, and how an inclusive and diverse volunteering offer can deliver community wellbeing and culture-led regeneration strategies.

Conwy will receive £199,546, with additional funding of £48,305 to cover costs that reduce barriers for people taking part, such as access costs.

The project is expected to last between two and two-and-a-half years, finishing by the end of March 2025.

An evaluation of the Volunteering Cities programme will be carried out by Neighbourly Lab.

Cllr Aaron Wynne, cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: “Creating a volunteer programme is an essential element of the Creu Conwy culture strategy.

“With Amdani Conwy!, we want to create a new volunteering programme that’s inclusive and engaging, and supports Conwy residents and communities to thrive and flourish.

“We’re looking to develop volunteering opportunities that are more responsive, accessible, inclusive and fun.

“This funding will be absolutely transformational in terms of being able to create volunteer cultural ambassadors across the county.”

Wendy Jones, chief officer for CVSC, said: “As CVSC celebrates its 25th anniversary year developing, supporting, and promoting voluntary activity across Conwy, it is very timely for us to look forward to future engagement within our communities, embedding the benefits of volunteering in quality voluntary opportunities which are open and accessible to all.

“This new, inclusive Amdani Conwy! project symbolises another successful funding bid and joint venture with colleagues from across the sectors, working to our strengths to improve wellbeing and community cohesion here in Conwy.”

Ruth Fabby MBE, director of Disability Arts Cymru, added: “Disability ARTS Cymru is delighted to be a part of this important work to ensure disabled and deaf people can participate in cultural events as volunteers through the right level of support.

“We know from experience that these opportunities offer so much for personal development, but this project also has the edge in promoting disabled and deaf people as leaders in their communities.”

Ruth Hollis, chief executive of Spirit of 2012, said: “I’m delighted to announce the grant for Amdani Conwy! today and congratulate everyone involved in the application.

“We’ve known for some time now how volunteering delivers benefits for people, communities and places, benefits which have really come to the fore over the last two years of pandemic and lockdown.

“Big events like the UK City of Culture and the Commonwealth Games have created incredible volunteering legacies for their host cities, but these big-ticket opportunities are few and far between.

“An incredible amount of work, energy and passion goes into preparing City of Culture bids, and whether successful or not, they have the potential to grow and evolve, and give ‘cities’ the opportunity to build on existing provision to create a sustainable local volunteering programme.”