Committed volunteers making the difference in Chelmsford

Largely unnoticed, a few hundred people in Chelmsford and communities across the country keep the local voluntary organisations going - doing so much good for their area. I attended the AGM of Chelmsford CVS today and met some of those people. These crucial voluntary groups do so much good work but suffer for lack of (relatively modest) extra funding - and nearly all of them would welcome additional volunteers in a wide range of settings.

Yesterday I attended the Mid Essex Area Forum (covering Chelmsford, Braintree and Maldon districts), where we had a presentation on the 2012 Olympics and the impact on Essex; the short-term developments in the local NHS; and supporting older people to make their own decisions about day care/support. You can see the Agenda in the county council meetings directory (agenda on the left hand side). Another quick overview of where an awful lot is going on, largely removed from the public gaze.