Community and Voluntary Sector

Baroness Wilcox of Newport Excerpts

Thursday 31st October 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Lab)]

My Lords, I am delighted to speak in this debate, called by my noble friend Lady Morgan of Drefelin, whom I congratulate. I also congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Porter, on her maiden speech, and welcome her to her place. I associate myself with the wise words of my noble friend Lord Murphy of Torfaen.

Volunteering is recognised by the Welsh Government and the Third Sector Partnership Council as an important aspect of strong communities and something to be promoted and supported. Jane Hutt MS, the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip, made an Oral Statement last year outlining the development of a new approach to volunteering in Wales. She noted that the approach will be one that is fit for the future, for generations of volunteers and including the voluntary, public and private sectors. In preparation for this debate, I, like others, was contacted by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, the national membership body. It welcomes the launch of the Government’s new civil society covenant framework and, as others have already mentioned, it believes that the covenant should include a commitment to continuous dialogue with devolved Administrations across the UK. That ensures the co-ordination of all policy, legislative and funding decisions.

Last week, we had the annual celebration event of the Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations. Due to parliamentary business, I was unable to attend. It celebrated volunteers who have been nominated by the community in 12 different awards. It was an excellent evening and my Newport colleagues, Jess Morden MP and Jayne Bryant MS, had great photographs of the event on their social media pages.

I have decided that one way to highlight the work of volunteers would be to record the immense contribution that individuals have made to my own experience of working together with them over my 20 years as a local councillor. Sadly, Joan Davies is no longer with us. However, as I said when I had the honour to give the eulogy at her funeral two years ago, Joan was the heart and soul of the Maesglas community in Newport. She dedicated decades to volunteering, running a branch of the Newport credit union from the community centre, where people could save money and take affordable loans. She was a key figure in running the centre, where she held the wonderful Wednesday night bingo club. Over the years, the people of Maesglas, one of the lowest socioeconomic wards in the city, under Joan’s leadership raised many thousands of pounds for charities. In 2018, Joan was given the High Sheriff of Gwent award. When asked for my nomination, as leader of Newport City Council, without hesitation I nominated Joan, who was the epitome of what it meant to serve the community.

The spirit of volunteering lives on in Newport today. In closing, I will mention two further people who volunteer in the important area of school governorship. I worked beside them on the governing body for many years at the John Frost School in Newport. Sue O’Brian is not only a committed and supportive chair of the governing body; she is at the heart of girl guiding in Newport and runs one of the many popular Brownie packs in the city. Similarly, the vice-chair of governors, Jan Atkinson, has a long background in the community, including foster caring, raising funds and cooking a Christmas lunch in one of our community centres for people who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day.

I am glad that this debate has allowed me to put on record their achievements and the importance of people such as Joan, Sue and Jan to the future of the sector in communities in Wales, and indeed across the whole of the UK.