YOU can use many words to describe Alison Semmence’s job: challenging, stimulating, responsible, exciting. But words you could never use are boring or predictable.
For there is no such thing as a routine day in Alison’s work. She is chief executive of the York Centre for Voluntary Service (CVS) and flexibility is one vital quality for this role.
"To do this job well," says Alison, "you need to be good at juggling several issues at any one time. For example, so far today I’ve had discussions about mental health, poverty, loneliness, finances and human rights. And it’s only 2 pm!"
Another quality needed to be a charity CEO is the ability to challenge constructively, whether that’s systems or people working within those systems. Or, to put it simply, to be prepared to challenge what’s wrong in the world. You have to be assertive when necessary – it’s certainly no job for a shrinking violet. Alison spent some time with me explaining how she got to where she currently is in her career.
Alison is Huddersfield born and bred and lived there until she was 18. At school she was good at languages and after school focused on studying French and German. After college, not knowing what she wanted to do, she fell into the private sector where she worked in pensions for several years.
"I wanted to do something that made a difference, but found it really difficult moving from the private sector into the charity sector because I didn’t really have all the skills that were needed."
She got her break working with people with learning disabilities with Essex County Council at the Roundwood Garden Centre in Braintree. "I spent my days working alongside people with learning disabilities, supporting them in the shop, sticking labels on jam jars and doing flower arranging – one of the best jobs I ever had! The people were a joy to work with, had so much character, and we had a lots of laughter and fun."
This led to another role working with people with learning disabilities, coordinating work experience in the various offices of Essex County Council. This was a rewarding job as she saw people thrive in the work environment we take for granted.
The next major event in her life was the birth of her daughter, Charlie. She took a year off and then started working in volunteering infrastructure. She set up and for ten years ran an independent volunteer centre in Chelmsford. The focus of the charity was to link people who wanted to volunteer with the voluntary and community organisations, and charities that needed them.
In November 2018, Alison moved to York to take up the post of chief executive with the CVS here. In Alison’s own words, the work of York CVS is "to enable the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to thrive".
York CVS has around 320 voluntary and community organisations as members. Some are very small, others are organisations with 200-300 staff.
"If somebody wants to set up a new voluntary organisation or charity," explains Alison, "they contact us. Jane, our funding and development officer, will meet them, advise on governance, what type of constitution they need, and all the things necessary to set up and run a voluntary organisation."
As chief executive, Alison’s principal duty is to help her managers support all 52 staff working on various projects. She and her staff support people with complex and difficult issues such as living in poverty or coping with mental ill-health.
Social prescribing is an important part of their work which has grown significantly over recent years. Alison explained that "social prescribers are basically a social response which would otherwise be treated as a medical need". Social prescribers can help people struggling with a range of things, often mental health issues, but they are also involved in helping people with benefits, advocacy, bereavement, health conditions, or anything that prevents someone from living a fulfilling and happy life.
Her major challenges are being faced with greater and more complex demands, and not enough financial resources to meet them. Like many other sectors, Alison currently struggles with staffing numbers and recruitment.
Alison meets CEOs from other CVS organisations around the country through the NAVCA (National Association of Voluntary and Community Action) network, of which she has been a trustee for the past six years. She also works with the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership trying to ensure the voluntary and community sector are embedded in the transformation of health and care which is currently taking place.
One area Alison is particularly proud of is the development of a Poverty Truth Commission in York. Around half the commissioners are people with first-hand experience of poverty who work together with people who hold the power in the city, to understand the nature of poverty and explore creative ways of addressing it.
Alison’s working life is varied and fulfilling, and she has undoubtedly achieved her earlier ambition of making a real difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in her local community.
During the week, she has little spare time for leisure activities, but at the weekend she enjoys cooking, good food, the occasional cocktail and walking her cockapoo Mabel.
David Wilson is a community writer with The Press
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