In a blog on the Department for Media, Culture and Sport website, Tracey Crouch has announced that this year’s Local Charities Day will be held on 15 December.
Writing in a blog which was published on the DCMS’s website on Friday, Tracey Crouch, minister for civil society, said Local Charities Day would be held on 15 December this year and will look to “highlight the work of small charities that are making remarkable differences in their communities”.
It will also “shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes and celebrate the commitment of those amazing volunteers who devote their time to improving the lives of others,” wrote Crouch.
Crouch’s blog said that over the next three months, DCMS will be “showcasing the work of a range of local charities from around the country” through its blog, as well as through DCMS’ social media channels; including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Last year’s inaugural day, announced by the then minister for civil society Rob Wilson at the Charity Finance Summit in October 2016, saw the government deliver over 900 “learning opportunities” for charities across the UK, including some 560 fundraising face-to-face training programmes across eight cities, delivered in partnership with the Foundation for Social Improvement.
The Office for Civil Society also pledged £5,000 worth of match-funding for the #GiveMe5 campaign, which ran on Local Charities Day itself.
The Department for Media, Culture and Sport has been contacted for further comment about its specific plans for this year’s Local Charities Day.
'Changes needed at a local and naitonal level'
The Lloyds Bank Foundation, which earlier this year published a report highlighting the challenges faced by small charities, has called for the government to also tackle the issues holding the sector back.
Duncan Shrubsole, director of policy, partnerships and communications at Lloyds Bank Foundation said: “Small and local charities play a vital but often unseen role in our communities across England and Wales, working on the frontline to tackle disadvantage and deliver positive change.
"Anything that celebrates and highlights the important contribution made by small and local charities must be welcomed but if the government really wants to support these vital organisations, it needs to tackle the key issues holding them back today, not wait until December.
"We speak to small and local charities every day who tell us of the real pressures they face, trying to help more people with more complex needs at a time of unprecedented cuts to funding and poor commissioning practices that deny them the resources they need. The government should use Local Charities Day to announce how it will deliver the changes needed at national and local level so small charities can continue to deliver vital services for local people and communities.”
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