History of Swansea Council for Voluntary Service
The original Swansea Council for Voluntary Service was set up in 1969 to develop voluntary initiatives within the City of Swansea. It was based in Gloucester Road and funded by the City Council. In 1983 the West Glamorgan Community Service Council was set up as a result of Welsh Office policy to establish a voluntary intermediary body in each of the eight counties of Wales.
Although the two organisations tried not to duplicate their work a certain amount of overlap was inevitable. In 1988, Swansea City County, concerned at the duplication of work in the Swansea area commissioned a report by Coopers & Lybrand to look into the whole issue of the voluntary sector activity and grant giving in Swansea. The report recommended an immediate merger between the two organisations. Hence, the merger took place in 1989 and the organisation became West Glamorgan Council for Voluntary Service, based in Pagefield House.
However, 1997 saw the transition from West Glamorgan Council for Voluntary Service to a new organisation, Swansea Council for Voluntary Service, in line with Local Government Reorganisation and the establishment of a Local Voluntary Council in each of the 22 new unitary authorities.
SCVS moved to a new building at 7 Walter Road, known as the Voluntary Action Centre, in June 1999. A year later the next-door building, number 8, was also acquired and work began to merge the two buildings as it is today.
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