Hello everyone! I wanted to take the opportunity on behalf of myself, the staff, and trustees of SCVS to say how tremendously proud we are of the sector locally, and the way that so many of you have adapted and changed over the last, difficult, 12 weeks to provide such invaluable support.

At SCVS we’re in a privileged position, in that we hear from organisations large and small, across the spectrum of support provided. Whilst for some groups, we understand that you’ve had no choice but to cease operations for the time being; but we also see that many services have continued (and even expanded), opened their criteria to support even more people, adapted to new ways of working (hello Zoom!), offered new methods of delivery, and – above all – pulled together to ensure no one is left behind. It is truly humbling.

You’re an inspiration to us all, and we are privileged to support such a strong and dynamic sector.

It feels as though we have reached a point of change in the current crisis, where the situation in Wales has somewhat plateaued, and thoughts begin to turn to resuming some kind of ‘business as usual’, whilst continuing to plan for a potential ‘second wave’ of the virus.

To make sure that SCVS has as complete a picture as possible of what is happening in the sector locally, we’d be very grateful if you could take a few moments to tell us how your group or organisation has been affected, whether you are beginning to plan for the next stage of the crisis, and how SCVS can best support you over the next challenging period.

The online survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/scvscovidjun20  

Over the next few weeks, you will see a new section on the SCVS website which contains resources and support to help you plan for the next phase of the situation, as well as a selection of low-cost, digital training courses to ensure you have the knowledge you need at this time.

As ever, the SCVS team are here to help however they can, so please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Finally, on behalf of myself, the SCVS Trustee Board and the whole staff team – thank you. You’re an inspiration to us all, and we are privileged to support such a strong and dynamic sector.

Amanda Carr

SCVS Director