Community Links (South Lanarkshire)

Community Links is an independent Lanarkshire-based Community Anchor organisation. Established in 2002, Community Links has a proven track record and passion for working with, encouraging and supporting communities to co-produce sustainable and meaningful involvement, participation and community-owned change. We are a value-based organisation, and this is reflected in how we deliver our services and interact with the communities we serve.

Company Ltd by guarantee with charitable status

Last year 2019/20 approximately 9% of the turnover was self-generated income: with the remainder coming from core, grant and project funding.

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Community Links (South Lanarkshire) was established in 2002 as an independent community consultation and engagement organisation; initially serving communities within Blantyre and North Hamilton Social Inclusion Partnership area. In 2006, the organisation extended its role to work across South Lanarkshire, with particular emphasis on areas of multiple deprivation as identified by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)

The Board of Directors has 7 Volunteer Community Representatives.

Its Memorandums and Articles ensure that the community drives its activities. Its main objectives are to:
Engage with communities and involve them in decision-making processes hence re-enforcing the importance of local democracy.

Increase community capacity and involvement utilising Asset Based Community Development, Participatory Budgeting and Co-Production.
Facilitate local community consultations/events and promote the SLC Community Planning Partnership objectives to identified SIMD communities by using innovative methods of communication and engagement.
Encourage volunteering opportunities by recruiting, training, and supporting local volunteers to deliver services and opportunities for the benefit of their local community.

Employability SELECT (Supporting Employment and Learning by Empowering Communities in Technology) by increasing digital access and providing guidance and support; enhancing ICT skills; supporting education/training and job opportunities with a focus on vulnerable individuals and groups.
Digital Community Hubs across urban and rural areas.

Provide information / communication to ensure individuals and communities are aware of services and opportunities, using appropriate methods such as face to face, open meetings, leaflets, local newsletters, via local and national press, and social media.
Develop true and representative community engagement to help shape service delivery in the communities to improve people’s quality of life.

Support for Community Representatives, Volunteers, local community development projects/groups, to give them the skills and confidence to communicate effectively with our communities, by evaluating their training and learning needs.

Improve our commitment to the environment and social responsibility in our communities and workplace by implementing our environmental policy which includes recycling, up-cycling, and purchasing goods and services locally.

Independence – we will work to ensure that we behave and are, an independent organisation, apolitical,
and always working in the best interests of our communities.

Facilitation and involvement -we will work to involve our communities and volunteers in wider activities.
Listening and understanding – we will communicate clearly and regularly talk to our communities and partner agencies.

Responsiveness – we will be responsive to the changing policy context and to the needs of our communities.

Include stakeholder groups across South Lanarkshire, from community groups and voluntary organisations to local businesses

Include:

South Lanarkshire Council
VASLan
NHS Lanarkshire
Scottish Government
Scottish Community Development Centre
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)
Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum (SURF)
Police Scotland
Fire and Rescue

The office in Blantyre is the main base and administrative centre of the Company

Volunteering and volunteer development

Volunteering remains at the heart of Community Links’s work, with opportunities in our Community Development projects.  Opportunities are varied and training provided where necessary.

Community Development

Community Links exists to engage and empower residents within South Lanarkshire to be positive contributors to local decisions within their communities, to take part in learning and development opportunities benefiting them, and the wider community and building community spirit

SELECT

Provide IT skills through confidential one-to-one-support in managing online and digital elements of Universal Credit and other benefits claims including: CV creation, job search and applications, and journal updates.

Community Development: Delivering Community Asset Based Development work and Participatory Budgeting in identified local communities.

Community Consultation: Community Links offer holistic bespoke consultation and engagement services to the public, private and voluntary sectors to income generate additional funds.  Services offered include but not exclusively:

Bespoke Community Consultation Services | Events Management including Virtual Events | Social Marketing | Spacious rooms and facilities for hire (when restrictions allow)

1 Community Development

2 Select

3 Recognition

Community Links will continue to ensure sustainability of the organisation mainly through self-generated income whilst seeking new funding opportunities to develop meaningful localised projects with the communities we work with.

Changes are inevitable and we will work hard and adapt to be at the forefront to remain connected and for the benefit of the organisation and the communities we work with.

To be able to continue the good work and seek new opportunities by: engaging, informing, empowering and developing communities to enable them to improve their quality of life and become stronger, more resilient, supportive, influential and inclusive for the future.