* Community Action Northumberland is an unincorporated voluntary association, established for general charitable purposes in 1951. It is a registered charity, no.224798 which serves as a voluntary sector intermediary body to support and develop community groups, charities and voluntary bodies throughout the County of Northumberland.

 * Community Action is both a Rural Community Council and a Council of Voluntary Service. Constitutionally, Community Action is a body whose members are drawn from the major local voluntary and statutory organisations, the chief officers of public bodies, and individual Associate Members. The full committee meets twice a year and elects an Executive Committee of between 21 and 30 members, who are the charity's trustees. 

* Community Action Northumberland belongs to a Network of 38 Rural Community Councils based in each county of England. Although they vary in name, some being known for example as Community Council or Community Futures or Voluntary Action, each works to support communities in their county. 

* CAN exists to support communities in Northumberland realise their own future for the benefit of all. CAN wishes to see strong, effective, viable and inclusive communities in the County.

* CAN provides a range of advice and support services for community and voluntary groups to enable people throughout Northumberland to overcome disadvantages and improve their quality of life. We all have a right to certain services and opportunities, but for many people who live in Northumberland, these are not always readily available. We are concerned that everyone should know what their rights are, where to get the help they need or how to organise and provide their own local facilities.

* Community Action believes that community groups can influence their own future by seeking help from the appropriate authorities or by setting up and managing self-help initiatives. Either new or established groups may need information, advice and support and Community Action Northumberland exists to provide these.
 
* A large part of our work is project based and is funded from a variety of sources including the European Union, DEFRA, OneNE/NSP, charitable bodies, local authorities and voluntary donations. .


      Help Offered

Community Action offers both direct and indirect help. Direct help comes from the staff who will travel anywhere in the County to work with local people to solve problems. Whatever the problem - from litter to lack of transport or from charitable status to children's play equipment - it is important to find the right solution for each particular village or group. Community Action staff can help people to design a suitable project, find the funds, and put it into operation.
 
Where appropriate Community Action works closely with specialist agencies and local authorities to bring together the best possible advice and practical help. In this way local groups can increase their knowledge and become confident in managing their own affairs. Indirect help come from Community Action's research, monitoring and lobbying roles. By keeping abreast of voluntary and rural issues  Community Action is able to foresee likely problems, alert decision-makers and make its views heard at local, regional or national levels. All too often policies devised for the country as a whole cause special difficulties for rural communities or voluntary groups; Community Action is an important watchdog for Northumberland.

    Local Regeneration

Many communities have faced severe social and economic change or decline, and feel powerless to influence their own future. Community appraisals and similar exercises can inject new life and give local people an agenda for action, based upon an assessment of needs, opinions, opportunities and priorities. Community Action has already supported dozens of communities through this process, starting from the discussion of the initial idea, through to advice on the implementation and management of any resultant strategy. 

    Services for other Bodies

In addition to our direct work with communities, we provide an array of other services for communities and other bodies. These include:
§ administering European funds for community use, in certain areas
§ access to photocopying facilities and other resources
§ management of grants for community projects, on behalf of charitable trusts
§ provision of training
§ advice to grant-givers
§ employment of staff on behalf of other bodies
§ publication of newsletters, such as Northumberland Community News, as well as briefings and guidance
§ compilation of directories

    Rural Services 

Community Action believes that certain basic services should exist within a reasonable distance of every settlement and that without a post office, shop, church, school, pub and village hall life in rural communities would change for the worse. A threat to any of these services is of real concern to Community Action. As well as helping local people to make best use of what they have, it can also help them overcome the difficulties and fill the gaps left if a service is withdrawn.
 
It is difficult to redress the balance between rural and urban services such as high schools, adult education, job centres, hospitals, citizens' advice bureaux, sports and arts centres seldom exist in villages, but Community Action tries to ensure that rural areas are not forgotten by planners and policy makers and that people in rural Northumberland know what services are available and where. Quality of life depends on access to essential services, jobs and leisure, although sometimes the best facilities are provided by local people themselves, tailor made to the needs of the community.

Community Action provides the secretariat for the Northumberland Association of Local Councils, with advice, information and training for all member councils. All the Community Action staff can help with parish projects.

    Village Halls and Community Centres

A warm, comfortable and safe public meeting place is essential to community life. Most village halls and community centres are run by a committee of volunteers. The fund raising and legal requirements can make this a daunting task, especially in small villages.

Community Action offers a comprehensive advice and information service for management committees. Help is available on any topic: building a new hall, improvements and extensions, licences and legal aspects, VAT, insurance, fundraising, grant-aid, constitution of the committee, or new activities in the hall. There are a lot of excellent halls in Northumberland and Community Action can help people to learn from the experience of others.

    Village Housing

Community Action sees the shortage of houses which local people can afford as one of the most serious issues facing villages in Northumberland. Without some low cost housing the character of rural communities will change dramatically: young people are forced to move away from their work or become homeless and their families and local services like the school and shop may be threatened.

By working with parish councils, local authorities, landowners and housing associations, Community Action can play an important role in enabling the provision of houses for local needs. It is a slow process, but there has already been some success in Northumberland villages. Helping the local community through the various stages, from investigating local needs and finding a site to completion of the houses, is a major service offered by Community Action.

    Parish Councils

The parish council is the most local level of elected government. It has statutory powers and duties and an active parish council can be a great asset to its community. It can raise and spend money, influence district and county council decisions, take action on the local environment and provide certain kinds of services. A good parish council provides leadership and influence in the rural community.

Community Action provides the secretariat for the Northumberland Association of local councils, with advice, information and training for all member councils. All the Community Action staff can help with parish projects.