Are you on a management committee of a voluntary or community organisation? Do you sometimes feel isolated? Do you want to be more effective in your role? If you have answered "YES" to any of these three questions, then the Vale Trustee Network is for you.

The Vale Centre for Voluntary Services' (VCVS) Trustee Network was started in 2002 and currently has 45 members representing a wide range of voluntary organisations from all part of the Vale of Glamorgan.

Clive Curtis, Partnership and Development Manager said, " The impetus to start the trustee network came from one of VCVS' former trustees. As a result, through canvassing the voluntary sector to see if other trustees would welcome a Network, a first meeting was held at which it was agreed to move the network forward and Terms of Reference were established."

He added, "Since then the network has met three times a year with e-briefings in between. There is a specialist speaker at each meeting who addresses a topic chosen by the network members. Through VCVS, the Trustee Network has developed a good relationship with a firm of lawyers who have informed the network about employment law, health and safety regulations and other topics of a legal nature."

Typically, between twenty and thirty trustees attend each meeting. So far no one has dropped out of the network, which is a testament to the need it is fulfilling. However, not all those who wish to can get to the meetings. In these cases VCVS can arrange to attend an organisation's Board Meeting to identify the needs of the trustees and take that information
to them.

So, if you feel that you would benefit from the Trustee Network (Membership is FREE), please get in touch with VCVS.

For further information about the Network contact
Clive Curtis at VCVS
email, clive@valecvs.org.uk
or telephone 01446 741706,
website www.valecvs.org.uk.