23/11/07

SUPPORTING NORTH BOURNEMOUTH CHILDREN'S CENTRE

On Friday 23rd November, 2007, Sir John Butterfill, M.P. for Bournemouth West attended the launch of DOVE (Developing Opportunities for Volunteers and their Employability) by the North Bournemouth Children’s Centre at Moore Avenue, West Howe, Bournemouth.  The DOVE project is a Fair Share funded initiative to encourage volunteering with children and young adults.

Over the past few years the North Bournemouth Children’s Centre (NCH) have been managing the Sure Start/Children’s Centre provision in the North Bournemouth area and have increasingly been involving parents in becoming volunteers to develop their confidence and skills.  They have also been able to make a significant contribution to supporting children in a variety of activities and settings.

Due to a significant reduction in funding in Children’s Centre provision from April 2007, however, it became necessary to find a way of securing this work and a bid was made using the acronym DOVE to the local Fair Share Lottery panel by NCH for funding to employ a full time volunteer co-ordinator.   The bid for funding was approved in May 2007 and a worker recruited to run the project (Tria Stribling).

John was very pleased to attend the launch of DOVE where he met providers of both voluntary and statutory services for children and young people in the area.

John is pictured with Lorraine Dabner (Fair Share co-ordinator), Tria Stribling (Volunteer Co-ordinator) and Phil D’Eath (Manager, Sure Start).