Click on the buttons below to find information on our development team, funding, networks and forums:
Our development team can help you with finding funding, writing funding applications and support with setting up appropriate bank accounts.
Throughout the year we host training and funding events. Our meet the funder events provide the opportunity meet with with funders such as the Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and Coalfields Regeneration Trust. Our 2025 event will be held on October 29th, 12-4:30pm at the West Ward Centre, Cefn Glas.
Members of BAVO receive regular funding e-briefing and notices of the latest funding opportunities into the inbox. The bulletins also provide hints and tips to help your group get a head start with all aspects of funding including bid writing, fundraising techniques, trading opportunities and tendering.
If you have a project idea or are ready to make an application, as a member of BAVO we can help you:
On our Facebook Group – a private group for BAVO members – we post about funding opportunities regularly.
You can follow the BAVO page on Facebook @BAVOhub and join BAVO to be part of the Facebook Group.
The Steering Group behind the Charity Governance Code has released a refreshed version of the Code, which sets out seven key principles of good governance for charities in England and Wales.
The updated Code includes:
A renamed and strengthened Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Principle, with clearer recommended practices
Updates to the Integrity Principle to place greater emphasis on ethics and ensuring everyone who interacts with a charity feels safe
These changes are based on extensive consultation with the sector, including user focus groups and over 800 responses — with a strong focus on improving diversity and integrity. The Steering Group also worked with specialist EDI consultants to ensure the revisions are meaningful and practical.
Charities are encouraged to explore the updated Code and make use of the additional resources available.
📥 Visit the Charity Governance Code website to:
Download the latest edition of the Code
Watch explainer videos
Read supporting blogs and guidance
Click here to visit the website.
The online register provides the public with information about individual charities and all registered charities will be listed there.
Each charity’s register entry will now display more clearly whether the charity has been subject to regulatory action or is of ongoing concern. Entries will now show how many staff members receive pay packages of £60,000 and above. It also notes where trustees are remunerated for their work and lists the policies a charity has in place, from safeguarding to conflicts of interest and investments.
Remember, the trustees are responsible for making sure the Commission has accurate information about your charity.
The Charity Commission (the regulator for charities in England and Wales) has launched a set of simple, easy-to-follow ‘five-minute guides’ to help trustees understand their legal duties and manage their charities effectively.
These quick-read guides cover the five key areas of charity governance that every trustee should know — a kind of core syllabus for good charity management.
The guides explain the basics of:
This new ‘gateway’ level guidance is designed to make it quicker and easier for trustees to understand what’s expected of them — and to find more detailed information when needed.
The guides have been shaped through research and user testing with trustees to ensure they’re practical, relevant, and user-friendly.
While the content is simple and straightforward, the Charity Commission emphasises that these guides are useful for all trustees — not just those new to the role. Even the most experienced trustees can face tricky questions or challenges, and these guides are a helpful resource to turn to when they do.
We tend to use our constitutions like a faithful old piece of furniture – well used but rarely closely examined. We assume it’s in good shape and run a duster over it occasionally but never check the fundamental structure for weaknesses or worn out parts.
It’s good practice to cast a careful eye over your constitution every few years to ensure that it still reflects what your group actually does, and how you operate. If you find you need to update it you can call our development staff for support. If you do make changes to it, be sure to:
It’s a good idea to review your policies annually, shortly before an AGM as that will give you the opportunity to have updated versions adopted in a vote of members during the AGM. However, legislative changes will need to be incorporated into your policies as the relevant act comes into force.
Again, if you require support to ensure your policies are up to date, our development staff can help with this.
Are you setting up a new Community Interest Company? You can now use an online incorporation process. This new digital registration option will offer:
For further information on the new online process, take a look at this webinar which provides an overview of the online system.
Third Sector Support Wales provides information and learning resources for the voluntary sector in Wales on Knowledge Hub.
Knowledge Hub is a helping hand with running your organisation, finding funding, recruiting and managing volunteers and more. The pages will guide you through some of the most important topics and things to consider to help all organisations better run themselves.
As well as a selection of information sheets and online courses, Knowledge Hub also gives you the opportunity to network with peers and have discussions on topics that are important to you. It is completely free to use for anyone working or volunteering in the voluntary sector in Wales, or for those wanting to get involved in the third sector for the first time.
To take advantage of the Knowledge Hub, register at knowledgehub.cymru
The SUN Network supports the full and effective participation of individuals within mental health services. Comprising of service users from various mental health services within Bridgend County Borough, the network provides peer support and training to its members.
Network aims:
These aims are worked on through:
Participation
Information
Meetings are open to all who access mental health services in Bridgend County Borough.
Please check back for more updates soon.
📅 Date: TBC
⏰ Time: TBC
📍 Location: TBC
For further details call BAVO 01656 810400
BAVO supports the CTM (Cwm Taf Morgannwg) Third Sector Mental Health Forum with Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil (VAMT) and Interlink RCT (Rhondda Cynon Taf). The chair is Janet Whiteman, CEO of New Horizons.
Together we:
The Forum brings the voluntary sector together. It draws upon the skills, resources, capacity and strengths of its members to develop and support partnership working, improve mental health service provision and share good practice. We strive to ensure services meet the needs of the people who need support and help people to access the right service at the right time. This includes people that stigma or circumstance hide from plain view.
Next meeting has currently been postponed. Please check back here for more updates soon.
📅 Date: TBC
⏰ Time: TBC
📍 Location: TBC
If you would like more information please contact Lucy Williams at BAVO on lucywilliams@bavo.org.uk or call us on 01656 810400.
The Cwm Taf Morgannwg (CTM) regional mental health network ‘Together for Mental Health’ brings together the voluntary and community sector from across Bridgend, Merthy Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf county boroughs and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.
The aim is to guide, monitor and facilitate the coordinated approach required to deliver the national Together for Mental Health Strategy and has the following core aims:
Date: TBC
Time: TBC
Location: TBC
For further details, contact BAVO, T: 01656 810 400, E: lucywilliams@bavo.org.uk or call 07850 700 377
Who Can Make a Referral?
Anyone who supports someone in need of a little extra companionship can refer to our service. This includes health professionals such as GPs, occupational therapists, social workers, and district nurses, as well as housing associations, voluntary organisations, family members, and friends. Self-referrals are also welcome.
Who Can Be Referred?
To be eligible for our face-to-face befriending service, individuals must:
Feel lonely or isolated with little or no family support
Live in Bridgend County Borough
Reside in their own home, sheltered housing, rented accommodation, or housing association property
Be experiencing grief or adjusting after a bereavement
Want to make new friends or join community activities but lack the confidence to go alone
How to Refer Someone:
Speak with the person first—they must be aware of and agree to the referral
Contact BAVO’s Project Officer on 01656 810400 or email bavo@bavo.org.uk
Complete our referral form [link or instructions here if applicable]
What Happens Next?
We’ll arrange an initial home visit to discuss the individual’s needs
A trained and DBS-checked volunteer will be carefully matched to them
A member of our team will accompany the volunteer on their first visit
We’ll keep you informed once befriending support has started
For more details, please download our Referral Guide for Bridgend County Borough here.
