In Focus: CVS Lincolnshire — helping communities turn ideas into action 

For a community to thrive, people need opportunities to get involved, organisations need the support to keep going, and local voices need to help shape what happens next. 

Across Lincolnshire, CVS Lincolnshire works at each of these levels. It helps people find volunteering opportunities and support for their wellbeing, strengthens charities and community groups, and brings residents and organisations together to address local priorities. 

Its approach rests on a clear belief: vibrant communities are created by people. Its role is to create the conditions that help those people, their communities and their organisations come together, take action and thrive. 

Bringing experience together 

CVS Lincolnshire was formed on 1 April 2026, bringing together Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service (LCVS) and Voluntary Centre Services (VCS). Before the merger, both organisations had worked in Lincolnshire for 30 years each and had already worked closely as Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Partnership, building relationships and delivering support across the county. 

The merger combines their experience, networks and expertise, with the aim of providing clearer and more consistent support for local groups, reducing duplication and strengthening the voluntary sector’s voice. 

The 2025–26 achievements shared by CVS Lincolnshire’s Deputy CEO show the breadth of the work on which the organisation now builds, from individual volunteering appointments to community projects and support for hundreds of local organisations. 

Helping people become part of community life 

Volunteering brings together people who want to contribute and organisations that need their skills, time and enthusiasm. Finding the right opportunity can also help someone build confidence, meet others and feel more connected to where they live. 

CVS Lincolnshire is the only infrastructure organisation covering the whole county to hold Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation (VCQA). Its volunteering support combines personal guidance with the Lincolnshire Volunteers platform, helping people explore roles that suit their interests and circumstances. 

In 2025–26: 

2,337 people were supported to access volunteering. 

1,159 people registered on the Lincolnshire Volunteers platform. 

655 volunteering opportunities were promoted. 

330 one-to-one volunteering appointments were delivered. 

That individual support matters because knowing where to start can be a barrier in itself. Advisers help people identify suitable roles, while organisations can receive help with recruitment, volunteer management and promoting their opportunities. 

CVS Lincolnshire’s wider Vision for Volunteering work also asks who is missing from volunteering and how opportunities can become more accessible. Alongside this, employer-supported volunteering helps businesses connect their employees with community activities during working hours. Together, these approaches seek to open up more ways for people to contribute.

Connecting people with support for their wellbeing 

The same emphasis on connection runs through social prescribing, which links people with local activities, groups and services that can support their health and wellbeing. 

The aim is to help people take greater control of their wellbeing and feel more involved in their communities. This can mean finding a group where they feel welcome, discovering support they did not know existed or taking a first step towards something they want to change. 

In 2025–26, the social prescribing service received 3,512 referrals, recorded 36,379 client interactions and made 12,178 connections to local services. It also recorded 5,551 positive outcomes. 

The level of contact reflects the work involved in helping people find and access support. A connection may begin with a conversation, but building confidence and taking the next step can take time. 

A specific example is Military Move and Mingle, which supports newly relocated serving families settling into Lincolnshire. Frequent moves can leave families far from familiar relationships and support networks. The project offers personalised conversations and practical help, including accompanying people to activities and making introductions in their new community. 

Supporting the organisations that make those connections possible 

The groups and services people turn to also need support to remain effective and sustainable. 

CVS Lincolnshire works with charities and voluntary groups on governance, policies and funding, alongside training, forums and networks that strengthen the wider sector. It also supports social enterprises with advice to help them deliver services. 

For a new group, that might involve choosing an appropriate structure and understanding how to get established. For an existing organisation, it could mean reviewing a funding application, planning a project or exploring different sources of income. These practical foundations help organisations develop their ideas and manage the responsibilities that come with delivering them. 

In 2025–26: 

724 voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations were supported. 

31 VCFSE forums were delivered. 

256 organisations were supported to become funding ready. 

£591,709 was leveraged into the sector, helping smaller organisations access funding to support their work in local communities. 

Forums and networks give organisations space to share experience, discuss common challenges and build relationships around local priorities. CVS Lincolnshire also provides access to more than 200 free online training courses through its partnership with Me Learning, covering subjects including safeguarding, data protection and health and safety. 

Its Community Enterprise programme offered another route to developing local support. Available across East Lindsey, it helped people establish and develop small enterprises offering care and practical assistance to older and disabled people. Support included exploring ideas, training, business development and making useful connections, with the aim of helping people remain independent in their own homes. The project finished earlier this year, but CVS Lincolnshire continues to look for investment to continue this work. 

 Giving communities a say in their future 

CVS Lincolnshire also supports projects identified with and for Lincolnshire’s communities, creating opportunities for residents to influence the places and services that matter to them. 

Through One Boston; Communities Together, the team listens to people who live, work or study in Boston, asking what they value and what they would like to change. Engagement has included community events and conversations with local groups, Boston College learners and Boston Grammar School sixth-formers. 

The figures supplied show 100 one-to-one conversations, 28 group engagement sessions and 796 people involved in shaping their community. 

At Moorland Community Centre in Lincoln, the focus is on working with local people to develop a thriving venue for the whole community. 

Here, 2,522 people were reached and 312 local activities and events were supported, with visitor numbers increasing by 1,039. A further £297,000 was secured to sustain the project for three years. 

The centre’s activities make that work tangible. Its programme includes GoGro CIC’s Chop, Chat and Change, Rooted Arts CIC’s Moorland Makers, seated exercise with Lincoln City Foundation, a warm space and veterans’ groups. Different organisations contribute their expertise in one local setting, giving residents several ways to get involved and access support. 

It demonstrates how a community asset can become a thriving community hub: through local involvement, a varied programme and the relationships that sustain it. 

Making participation possible through community transport 

For many people, particularly in Lincolnshire’s rural and coastal communities, getting to an activity or service is a significant barrier. 

CVS Lincolnshire provides leadership and secretariat support for the Greater Lincolnshire Community Transport Consortium, which brings together more than 18 schemes. 

Through those schemes, over 300 volunteer drivers help keep communities moving. In 2025–26, 27,500 passengers were supported — an average of around 75 passengers every day. 

During the same year, community transport schemes travelled 918,000 miles, roughly equivalent to travelling around the Earth 36 times. 

CVS Lincolnshire’s role is to support the schemes and their development, including help with volunteer recruitment, organisational support and funding, while directing people to local services. Its website also highlights the need to expand access to journeys that support social participation, alongside medical appointments. 

Those journeys are an essential part of helping people stay independent and connected. A local group or service can only make a difference to someone if they can reach it. 

Across these areas of work, CVS Lincolnshire helps connect individual aspirations with community opportunities, and local ideas with the practical support needed to deliver them. Supporting a volunteer, strengthening an organisation and helping residents shape their neighbourhood are closely related parts of the same ambition: communities where people can participate, contribute and thrive. 

Find out more about CVS Lincolnshire, explore its volunteering support or learn about support for community organisations.