PROJECTS & PARTNERSHIPS

In 2023 Change Agents worked in partnership with Citizens Advice Rutland (CAR) and many local voluntary sector organisations to research the make-up of Rutland’s VCS and develop a sector strategy that would help VCS organisations meet the ongoing needs of local people.

As organisations such as local authorities and others responsible for state-provided services are faced with the challenges of increasing complexity, growing demand for services, and reductions in resources, this sector will be even more important to help people live well and solve problems together.

A Steering Group of representatives from the VCS and Rutland County Council was convened to lead on developing the strategy. We drew on CAR’s strong links with the local voluntary sector to engage as many organisations – both large and small – from across the sector as we could. This was key to developing a strategy that reflected the diverse nature of Rutland’s voluntary and community-based organisations by representing a cross-section of views.

To ensure the strategy was evidence-led we ran a survey and focus groups to establish data on the make-up of the sector and to identify it strengths, potential for development and support needs. We also pulled together official data on the demographics of the county into a single report focussing on topics relevant to the voluntary sector such as the aging population, transport and health.

The strategy including key recommendations and actions and full research findings can be found on CAR’s website.

We are working in partnership with Derbyshire Community Energy Partnership Hub to realise our ambition to create a regional umbrella organisation that supports the creation, growth and innovation of local Community Energy (CE) groups across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Community energy – whereby people come together in their community to tackle fuel poverty, develop clean energy solutions that are community owned and support sustainable transport– can be a vital platform for enabling climate action by stimulating both social and environmental engagement and change. By improving energy efficiency and generating renewable energy, CE combats climate change and helps councils and other organisations reach their Net Zero ambitions.

We are currently seeking funding for the project which aims to expand beyond the typical reach of the CE sector to engage with and include people and communities who are currently underrepresented.

The project will build on the success of the nationally award-winning Derbyshire Community Energy Ltd Partnership Hub (DCEPH) which, since its creation in October 2022, has supported 17 Community Energy groups across Derbyshire.

Partnering with South Derbyshire District Council to resource the delivery of Sainsbury’s ‘Waste less, Save more’ campaign, recruiting a team of Food-Saver Champions.

Having secured a £1 million investment from Sainsbury’s under its ‘Waste less, Save more’ initiative the year-long journey sought to test some of the most innovative ideas and technology available. The campaign aimed to reduce food waste in the area by 50%, cutting average household food bills by £350.

Our Change Agents engaged with residents about food waste, and also gave advice on how to make full use of the South Derbyshire District Council’s recycling and composting services.

Energy Action, a partnership led by Change Agents UK, delivered with significant cooperation from partners such as Rutland County Council, Voluntary Action Rutland, Citizens Advice Bureau, Age UK and Spire Homes.

Following our successful Fuel Poverty projects in Rutland, Leicestershire and Cambridgeshire, we also teamed up with National Energy Action to offer programmes that enabled councils to bring in short-term support allowing fuel poverty action of the ground. The EA4R model has now been rolled out to 23 Local Authorities across the UK with the help of Warm Homes, Healthy People funding.