KCC Leader Roger Gough with leaders from charities and social enterprises at this week’s Civil Society Strategy launch
Harnessing the civic spirit of volunteers and charities that has proven a lifeline for so many through the pandemic is at the heart of a new blueprint for supporting stronger Kent communities.
Officially launched this week, the Civil Society Strategy sets out Kent County Council’s (KCC) first major plan for working with the county’s diverse civil society and social sector.
Ranging from small informal support networks to larger social enterprises and charities, there are over 2,840 active voluntary organisations, and more than 27,000 people working for charities and volunteering, in Kent.
A £170,000 pilot project, in partnership with the Ashford Volunteer Centre, to help establish a co-ordinated, properly resourced volunteering system for the county, is just one early initiative that has emerged from the landmark plan.