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Carlisle CVS has recently merged with other CVS’s in the county to form Cumbria CVS.

A new Cumbria CVS website is in the process of development and will be launched in the autumn. In the meantime information will still be provided by this site but will be transferred to the new site in due course.

Cumbria CVS ICT Support Service

Cumbria CVS has run a pilot ICT Support service with ten groups over the last year, funded by Capacity Builders, with a view to developing a sustainable social enterprise across the county.

The pilot has confirmed there is a demand for an affordable service to support effective, trouble free computer use in Third sector. Feedback also suggests organisations would prefer to have the service delivered by a local, trustworthy organisation that understands the needs of local Third sector.

The service so far has been delivered by Dave Greenhalgh with some help from other CVS staff and consultants. We have generated a small number of contracts to deliver ICT support and also several ad hoc projects as well.

From April 2008, we will be offering the service across the county. The initial service will include telephone, email and web based, impartial, independent advice and information and remote maintenance with a limited on-site service from our Penrith office.

We are actively seeking funding for more staff on the service so we will can respond to the demand already demonstrated and also grow the enterprise.

Leaflets about the new ICT support service and Video Conferencing in Cumbria are both available from your local CVS office or can be downloaded here.

Please contact Dave Greenhalgh on 01768 242129 for further details.

Lynne Hutchinson

April 2008

Video Conferencing set to reduce costs for Third Sector organisations

Cumbria CVS is launching a new leaflet to explain how voluntary groups can save journeys and time by using video conferencing facilities around Cumbria. The new leaflet will raise awareness of the facilities around the County and how they can be used by the Third sector. It forms part of the service offered by the new Cumbria CVS ICT Support Project which is a Social Enterprise offering an affordable, reliable source of information, impartial advice and technical help for Third Sector organisations.

The leaflet was funded and supported by the National ICT Hub and NAVCA and highlights the benefits of using video conferencing as:

· Saving time - You can save having to drive to meetings on the other side of the County.

· Saving money – travel costs are reduced

· Savings the environment – reduces car journeys

· Safer – the County’s roads can be hazardous in winter

The leaflet was launched by Lynne Hutchinson from Cumbria CVS Carlisle last week “Holding meetings with a colleague in Barrow by video saves me a huge amount of time. I’d rather spend my time on projects rather than behind a steering wheel.”

By using video links, Cumbria CVS expects to save over £2000 a year, and the total savings could be a lot higher if other Cumbrian organisations follow suit. While the technology has been around for a long time, rising fuel costs and the oncoming recession are causing organisations to rethink how they can cut costs.

For further information contact Lynne Hutchinson on 01228 512513 or Dave Greenhalgh 01768 242138 or www.carlislecvs.org.uk or Download Video Conferencing Leaflet