What we do as a RCC

The RCC exists to support the 1,500 or more voluntary and community organisations that work so hard for the benefit of the Island and its residents. We are also here to directly support communities themselves and given our name we naturally have a strong focus on the concerns of rural communities.

Whether you are looking for the latest funding information, are searching our Merlin database for a voluntary organisation delivering a service in your area or trying to contact the Optio Voluntary Car Service, I hope that you find the website useful.

Best regards

Michael Bulpitt, Chief Executive, Isle of Wight Rural Community Council

Provide support to voluntary and community organisations and the wider community

The Isle of Wight Rural Community Council aims to promote, develop and support voluntary and community organisations. It also aims to support and empower Island communities to address their local concerns, especially with regard to issues of disadvantage and inequality.

The support we offer to voluntary and community organisations is a role performed by different organisations up and down the country and a shared term is often used to describe the role, the Council for Voluntary Service (CVS).

What we do as the Council for Voluntary Service

  • Help to represent the views of the voluntary and community sector and lobby on its behalf.
  • Provide information and advice to voluntary and community organisations - for example on funding, policy and legal issues.
  • Support partnership working between voluntary and community organisations and with the public and private sector.
  • A new role is the development of a volunteer centre during the course of 2008.
  • Organise, promote and sometimes deliver training to support the sector.
  • Support the activities of the Voluntary Sector Cabinet and related partnership networks.
  • Support voluntary and community organisations to understand and address the changing political, policy and business environment in which they work.
  • Provide developmental support to local groups

What we do in our wider community support role

Being a charity with the same funding issues as most other charities, the roles we undertake do vary according to the funding we have at any particular point in time but current roles undertaken and services provided include:

  • Promote the needs of rural communities
  • Providing village hall and community buildings advice.
  • Support the development of Parish Plans and other community consultations and action plans.
  • Co-ordinate a voluntary car service known as Optio.
  • Support community health through and our Rural Health Trainers