From Karen Loftus – Chief Executive
I’m proud to lead a local infrastructure charity that champions Dorset’s amazing charities and community groups. It never ceases to amaze me the great work they do as volunteers and often unsung. This is what drives us to do all we can to serve them.
I’m delighted to share CAN’s Annual Report for 2023/2024. It shares examples of our work to support communities across the county of Dorset to be strong, healthy, diverse and thriving. CAN’s values inform everything we do – and there are some great examples of that in the report.
My highlights
- Members are at the heart of CAN – they form our Board of Trustees and enable us to be representative of the sector. Membership has grown significantly over this year.
- We’ve supported 411 groups to develop good governance and safeguard their teams and the people they serve.
- Our webinars and training reached nearly 400 people – the vast majority (99%) reported an increase in their knowledge.
- We’ve supported nearly 700 people to volunteer in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area.
- Trusted Voices increased to 125 amazing community leaders – reaching out to those that are not well served historically
- Over 300 people from local charities and community groups have accessed our networks, which enable us to gather and share sector insights.
- Our eNewsletters share good practice, essential information and news from around the sector. They continue to be well received
- We’ve helped save our NHS and Councils thousands of pounds through essential work to support wellbeing and mental health
- CAN Connects! Meeting folks in person works. Our Information Stations across the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area provide a lifeline for people looking for support in their local community – we’re proud to connect them to brilliant local charities and community groups, as well as our public sector services.
- We championed 23 groups through our Community Heroes in the Spotlight initiative.
There’s much more to share – please take a look at our report. If you would like to discuss any aspect of our work further, you can reach me at karen.loftus@can100.org.