Open day offers support to York community groups (From York Press)

Open day offers support to York community groups

4:33pm Saturday 27th October 2012 in News

AN ORGANISATION which supports charities and community and voluntary groups in York is preparing to stage an open day to highlight its work and help them face up to future challenges.

The event by York CVS at the Priory Street Centre, which has just undergone a £45,000 makeover, on Monday is designed to showcase its services to groups which have not made use of them before, with free talks and training sessions on areas such as social media, event management, funding and issues facing charity trustees.

There will also be a fun element, with giant games including Jenga, Connect 4, quoits, draughts and chess running throughout the day. The pop-up shop We Are Your Emporium will be selling hand-crafted gifts, while York CVS will be looking for volunteers to be part of a magazine front-cover and there will be dance demonstrations from Acomb’s Timebank Band, music and drinks, and a taste of the centre’s evening classes.

Portia Simpson, one of the creative forces behind the Illuminating York festival, will be holding a workshop on event management and speakers from Macmillan Cancer Support, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Harrogate Volunteer Centre and Rural Action Yorkshire will be talking about how to get the best out of social media sites.

Meanwhile, a Dragons Den-style event will see investors from Big Issue Invest, Charity Bank and Key Fund pitch their ideas to social enterprises and a question-and-answer session will be held with groups, charities and social enterprises which have recently started up.

More information, including how to book a free place at the sessions, is at yorkcvs.org.uk/openday. The open day starts at midday, with children welcome and limited creche places available.