St Helens Council for Social Services was established in 1932 and our mission to support local people and organisations as they make where we live the best community it can be was underway.
Our history
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1932: This is where it all began!
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1974: Bigger and better
St Helens Council for Social Services extended its area of operation to cover the newly created metropolitan borough. It was the more the merrier as our sphere of influence grew.
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1982: What’s in a name
Councils for Voluntary Service were being established across the country, and as we were already fulfilling the functions of one, we adopted the new title St Helens District Council for Voluntary Service to reflect everything we offered.
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1985: A good idea spreads
Next it was our neighbour Halton’s turn. Local organisations founded a service to champion local social action too: the Halton Council for Voluntary Services.
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1992: Two become one
Halton CVS and Halton Volunteering Centre merged to become Halton Voluntary Action. This combined service continued to develop and support the work of
Halton’s voluntary and community sector.
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2008: Major milestone
St Helens CVS celebrated a tremendous 75 years at the forefront of developing the local voluntary, community, and faith sector. We established and floated off as independent: the CAB, Bereavement Service, DASH (Disability Information Service) and two Victim Support Schemes that have offer vital support to people who need it in our borough.
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2010: Stronger together
St Helens Council for Voluntary Service and Halton Voluntary Action merged to create Halton & St Helens Voluntary and Community Action as we know it. We are a credible channel of communication between the sector and official or statutory bodies, making sure the voice of our local organisations is heard. We also promote volunteering, by supporting and training local people wanting to share their time and skills, while helping to build the capacity of the local organisations to provide safe and fulfilling placements.
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And here we are today!
Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action continues to work with local partners to identify gaps and needs in our fantastic community and support the development of new initiatives to meet those needs.
