Q. You used VAC to support an application to the Active Communities Fund?

The organisation here uses VACs training quite a lot. Active Communities came about when I got an email about using the support of VAC to try and access it successfully. So we went along to the VAC training and the one-on-one follow up. Being able to speak with someone in relation to our bid was really helpful and being able to refine it and improve it. And we were successful to the tune of 23 thousand pounds over two years. VACs involvement was a real benefit, particular the one-to-one support. It was excellent. It allows us to go and sketch out our idea, refine it and then bounce it off someone to see if we’re on the right lines or not.

Q. What did that award mean for the community centre?

We offer volunteer opportunities here and sports and youth activities. We try to create a pathway between participants to volunteers and now we want to offer paid opportunities for them. So the purpose of the bid was to offer that last bit of that pathway. At the minute we have youth sessions, music sessions, homework sessions etc. We involve volunteers from the local community so the last bit was to help us fund paid positions for local people, and that’s in a sports context. And for a homework club.

Q. What has been your direct experience of working with VAC?

I’ve gone to three training sessions and they’ve all been good. They’ve been to do with financing and social investment and they’ve all been to a good standard. I’ve been able to refine my finance skills, gain some top up knowledge. It’s useful to go and hear someone’s views from that perspective rather than using your own education and experience just to get that wee bit to get more detail.

My experience with VAC has been the training and it has always been very good. Well presented, definitely the after care has been quite good. The presenter has always said if you do want to contact me with any follow up questions that would be fine.

That’s what happened with Active Communities. The ideas were forming in my head about what I wanted to do. It’s having that bouncing board to able to refine the application that was important. That one-to-one support made an impact.