Infrastructure support charities from across Cheshire & Warrington have come together to form a collective, the Cheshire & Warrington Infrastructure Partnership.

This partnership will work across the region to coordinate support for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector, share best-practice and resources, and assist with the continuing efforts to tackle Covid-19 and help our communities and charitable organisations recover.

The partnership currently consists of the following organisations:

  • Cheshire Community Action
  • Cheshire West Voluntary Action
  • CVS Cheshire East
  • Halton & St Helens Voluntary and Community Action
  • Warrington Voluntary Action

Secretariat and administration support for the Partnership will be provided by Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW), the regional voluntary sector network for the North West of England.

The formation of the Cheshire & Warrington Infrastructure Partnership follows the recent announcement that the three local authorities in the region and the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) have committed to a vision of building a better future after COVID, where businesses and local communities see improvements in four key areas – economic growth, health, sustainability and inclusivity. This is a goal which
the Partnership fully supports and will work alongside colleagues in the public sector to achieve.

The Partnership has set up a survey of voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations. The results will be used to make the case for additional support for Cheshire and Warrington as the current Covid situation continues.

Mark Reading, Chief Operating Officer at Cheshire Community Action said:

“The Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector has demonstrated its vital role in the COVID-19 emergency response. We look forward to working with our partners across Cheshire and Warrington to strengthen the Sector’s voice in conversations around the ongoing COVID response and the post-pandemic recovery”.

Caroline Whitney CEO of CVS Cheshire East said:

“We are delighted to be a founding member of this new partnership which will ensure better cooperation and more joint working across the Cheshire and Warrington region.”

Clare Harrison Deputy Chief Executive of Cheshire West Voluntary Action said:

“The Partnership will provide a collective voice for the VCSE sector[1], enabling us to present a united front in discussions around how our communities can recover from the current crisis and Build Back Better with a fairer and more sustainable society.”

Alison Cullen CEO of Warrington Voluntary Action said:

“As a founding member of this new partnership I am looking forward to participating on behalf of the sector on the new Public Sector Transformation Board”

Margaret Cheshire, Chief Operations Officer of Cheshire Community Foundation said:

“We are delighted to have been co-opted into the Partnership and to play an important role in ensuring that the Sector is effectively linked into economic and funding conversations”