Page 9 - Manchester Mind Annual Report 2021-2022

Manchester Volunteer Advice Project
Working in partnership and sharing time and resources can lead to bigger outcomes...
Manchester Volunteer Advice Partnership (MVAP) is one such project. One of the real joys emerging from the pandemic was the new funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for the refreshed MVAP project. It was lovely to start to work with volunteers and our partners Cheetham Hill Advice Centre, Manchester Refugee and Support Network (MRSN) and Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, again.
Working together means that we can recruit and train more volunteers – not just for our own organisations, but across the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in Manchester. This makes such a difference. Through advice volunteering you learn lots of different skills and with advice volunteers the city is much better resourced to meet the advice needs of local communities.
The team celebrated with the first volunteers at an award ceremony. As we have been deprived of so many chances to meet over the last couple of years, there was a great vibe. The team shared food and stories, enjoying the company. One of our volunteers let us know that the place he works at, selling cakes, had put £100 behind the counter for MVAP volunteers. Another volunteer said that
“people often come into MRSN looking worried, but they always leave with a smile”.
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