The background
During lockdown in early 2020, residents noticed how peaceful the village had become and how both nature and flowers were blooming. This was the catalyst for a small group of people to come together and discuss ideas and share knowledge about making a space for nature in their village of Padbury.
The challenge
Inspired by this a small group of Padbury residents, set up an unincorporated organisation in the summer of 2021, but it soon became apparent that the group needed advice in various aspects of running a voluntary organisation. The group’s main contact was already aware of the type of support that Community Impact Bucks could offer through her other volunteer role at Padbury Pre-School and approached us for help.
The solution
Greener Padbury Group received one-to-one support In November 2021 covering important areas in setting up an organisation including:
- Legal structures, governance, and constitution
- Policies and exemplars
- Funding support
- Trustee recruitment
The group responded quickly to the advice and worked through the suggestions, seeking further guidance as they worked through the steps to register as a Community Interest Organisation (CIO). There have been some key steps forward and significant milestones including the recruitment and appointment of trustees:
“We had a really good session on the structure of our organisation and were sent follow up information that included links to document templates. Following on from the session our group has a meeting next week to adopt our new structure and appoint trustees, so the session was invaluable- thank you!” – Lucy Read, Trustee
The result
In June 2022, the group has been very successful in 3 particular areas which – in its own words – was “not bad for our first year in action!”
- It became a registered charity with the Charities Commission
- It received a grant of over £8,000 from its Community Board to explore the potential of their local wood
- Jilly Jordan, Buckinghamshire Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Environment, presented the Greener Padbury Group with the Proud of Bucks Best Community Group Contribution Highly Commended Award
Further information
- For more information on Greener Padbury Group, visit the Greener Padbury Group website.
- If your organisation would benefit from free one-to-one advice from one of Community Impact Bucks’ VCSE and Development officers, book a support session at a time that suits you via our Training and events page.
- For more information on Running your organisation, go to our Charities and groups webpages for a range of online resources.
